


Untitled

by monaboyd_archivist



Category: The Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: Angst, F/M, First Time, Het, M/M, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Romance, gen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-05-24
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-08-07 10:07:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 36,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7710973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monaboyd_archivist/pseuds/monaboyd_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Billy is in LA to film a movie. Dom decides to drop by unannounced. And I suck at summaries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Surprise Visit

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Shirasade: this story was originally archived at the Monaboyd.net Archive, which was closed in September 2014 due to software issues and a lack of new submissions for several years . To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in October 2014. I e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this author, please contact me using the e-mail address on the Monaboyd.net Archive collection profile.

Dom tapped his fingers on the wheel and hummed along with the radio as he drove, not even caring, for once, about the thoughtlessness of LA drivers. He felt giddy, and not just from the couple of drinks he’d had at the pub, or the lights and music and night air breezing in through his open window. No, he was giddy – if he were honest with himself – because he was on his way to see his best mate in the whole, entire world. A mate that was finally in the same city as he was, if only for a few months. A mate that Dom finally had all to himself again.

As he stopped at a red light, the song on the radio intruded on his happy thoughts.

_I really feel like I’m losing my best friend  
I can’t believe this could be the end._

Dom scowled and hit the “off” button. Fucking No Doubt. He wasn’t losing Billy. Rather, he was just finally getting him away from his ever-present girlfriend for awhile.

He frowned slightly. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Ali. She was a sweet girl, and he could see why Billy loved her, although she wasn’t really _his_ type, of course. No, it wasn’t that, it was just…well, Billy was his best mate, and that’s the way it had always been, right from the day they’d met. DomandBilly. BillyandDom. And girlfriends had a way of…well, interrupting that, for lack of a better word. Quietly trying to be Billy’s best mate, too, when that was obviously Dom’s job. No, he liked Ali, but he’d been just a little bit glad to see her get on the plane back to Scotland this morning. She’d only been here a week with Billy, to help him move into his temporary home, but it had seemed like forever, for some reason. And her plane’s departure had lifted away the weight that had been dragging at Dom’s heart since their arrival.

His frown disappeared. Billy was all his for a full three months. Maybe more, if filming on the movie went longer than expected. Sure, Ali’d probably be back for another visit or two, but with Dom on summer hiatus from his series, and Billy living just a few miles away, they’d have plenty of time to be DomandBilly again. He grinned, all giddiness once more. He was way too full of excitement to spend the night out at the pubs while his best mate in the whole, entire world sat at home and moped over his girlfriend’s departure.

He glanced at his watch. Just past eleven. The thought crossed his mind that he should phone ahead and let Bills know he was on his way over, but he shrugged it off. Better to surprise him – especially since Dom had just been given his spare key earlier that day. Apparently, there had been some concern that he might otherwise use it at an…inopportune moment, while Ali was around. Dom snorted, knowing that idea hadn’t come from his Billy.

The sound of a car horn roused him from his musings, and he realized the light had turned green. He executed a quick turn, and found himself practically flying down Billy’s street. It seemed like the closer he got to Billy’s, the faster his lead foot wanted him to go. Dom forced himself to lay off the accelerator, and the car seemed to crawl the last few blocks to Billy’s door.

Deciding to give his friend a bit of a surprise, he killed the engine and closed the car door as quietly as he could – as if Billy would notice the noise, even in this relatively quiet neighborhood. He snuck silently to the door, suppressing the ridiculous urge to tiptoe, which would just look silly if he got caught, anyway. Producing his key, he turned it in the lock with barely a sound, and opened the door. He slipped in and closed the door just as softly behind him…and then figured _what the hell_ , and succumbed to his tiptoeing urges.

The front hall was dark, and Billy wasn’t in his sitting room. But as he let his eyes adjust to the dark, Dom realized he could hear noises coming from down the hall. Noises that sounded an awful lot like a porn movie, in fact. Dom grinned. This was going to be an even funnier surprise than he’d planned. Especially if it turned out to be one of the borrowed videos Billy’d “forgotten” to return to him before they left Wellington. Stifling a giggle, Dom resumed tiptoeing once again, down the hall and around the corner toward Billy’s room, where a light shone dimly from the partially open door, and the noises inside were growing in intensity.

He crept up to the door, prepared to spring inside and give Billy a good fright. He peeked slowly around the door…and froze, mouth open. Dominic Monaghan, tree lover, instantaneously grew roots. He couldn’t have moved his legs, or torn his eyes from the sight in front of him if his life depended on it.

Billy was half-lying on the bed, his head thrown back, his weight supported on his elbows, his eyes shut and his soft, perfect lips parted. He was naked and flushed, and his muscular legs were spread, and he didn’t even have the TV on. No, the noises Dom had heard – was still hearing – came from Billy himself, and from the shapely and equally naked woman kneeling between his legs. A woman who definitely wasn’t Ali.


	2. Surprise Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the title implies, Dom (semi-voluntarily) sticks around to watch

  
_Shit._ It was the only thought Dom could muster. His eyes were locked on Billy, who looked like he was about to die of ecstasy. Who sounded…oh God, sounded like he was getting the blowjob of his life.

“Fuck, yeah, jes’ li’ tha’…”

The small, distant portion of Dom’s brain that was still working noted with interest that Billy’s accent was even stronger and sexier than it was when he was drunk. Sexier? He should have questioned, _tried_ to question that thought, but it was futile. All the blood had already left his brain for points decidedly south. Points which had grown uncomfortably heavy and tight as the blood pooled hotly between his legs.

“Mmmm, suck meh-” Billy’s monologue was cut off by a swiftly indrawn breath, and a moan. The brunette between his legs lifted her head, and laughed, low and sexy.

Dom’s mouth was dry, but he couldn’t even move his tongue to wet it. Every inch of him was paralyzed – every inch except his erection, which had sprung to rock-hard attention at the same moment the rest of him had lost all mobility, and was pushing insistently at the confines of his tight jeans, begging to be freed.

His eyes could move too, and just now they were focused on the slick, nearly purple head of Billy’s cock, as the mystery woman returned her attentions to the matter at hand, and started licking her way slowly up it once again. When she reached the top, she flicked her tongue deliberately over the slit, and made a small humming noise of satisfaction as she tasted the precum there. Without warning, she plunged her pursed pink lips down over him, cheeks hollowed, until her nose was nearly touching the auburn curls at the base.

Billy cried out desperately, and thrust upwards into her mouth, closing the last inch of space between them.

Dom’s cock throbbed painfully, and that small and distant part of his brain acknowledged that it was a good thing he couldn’t move his hand, or he’d be wanking right here, as he spied on his unsuspecting mate.

As the woman bobbed up and down at a faster pace, Billy’s gasps and moans grew more hoarse, until Dom was sure that Billy – or maybe he himself – was going to come then and there. Suddenly the woman stopped sucking Billy’s cock, swiping playfully at the head with her tongue one last time, and produced a condom from somewhere Dom didn’t see, focused as he was on his mate’s rocking hips and heavy, stiff cock. She expertly rolled it over the wet, glistening erection before rising to position herself over Billy’s body, knees on either side of his bucking hips. His eyes were still closed as she sank down on his cock, throwing her own head back as he grasped her soft, white hips hard. They both cried out as he thrust upward into her.

Dom felt a damp spot of precum form on the inside of his jeans, rubbing just slightly against the highly sensitized skin as his own cock pulsed insistently. His vocal chords suddenly remembered how to work, and he was just barely able to stifle the moan that rose in throat.

On the bed, both Billy and his partner were swiftly approaching climax, their moans and cries mingling in Dom’s ears. Billy still hadn’t opened his eyes, and the woman on top of him had closed hers, without ever seeing that they had an audience.

“Ooohh, yeah, yeah, right there,” the woman panted, her smooth thighs starting to shake as she rode the hard cock beneath her as if it would carry her to salvation. She made it as far as orgasm, though, and Dom’s eyes flicked to his friend’s face as Billy cried out roughly.

Suddenly, Billy’s eyes flicked open and their dilated emerald gaze locked with Dom’s. A long shudder rocked Billy’s body as he gasped “Dom!” and came hard, thrusting up into the woman above him, his lust-dark eyes glazing, but never leaving those of his best mate.

As if triggered by Billy’s completion, Dom’s muscles unlocked, and he stumbled blindly from the room, out the door and to his car. He didn’t know where he was going as he ripped out of his friend’s driveway. He didn’t know much of anything, except that he had a hard-on you could pound nails with, and his thoughts were racing faster than his car, tumbling over one another in confusion.

Who the hell was the woman? What was Billy doing fucking her very the same day his girlfriend left town? Why the hell had he stayed to watch, and why, oh why, in the scene running over and over in his memory/fantasy was he imagining himself in _her_ place, and not Billy’s?


	3. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ali tells Billy how it is

“Billy?”

At first he didn’t hear her. He was laughing too hard at something Dom had just said. When she repeated his name, he looked over at her and realized guiltily that she must have been trying to get his attention for some time now. He sighed inwardly. He knew he was being inattentive, and not for the first time that week. It had just been so long since he’d any time to spend with his best mate, and he had forgotten how fun and natural and _right_ it felt to be BillyandDom once again.

He stood up, shaking the popcorn from his clothes and hair as he got off the couch. He glanced at his friend, and half-grinned to see Dom covered in the stuff, too. They’d been pelting each other for hours. And Ali…well, Ali had sat there in the armchair, quietly watching the movie on TV. To her credit, she hadn’t shushed the boys on the couch even once, and that made Billy feel just a bit more guilty. He wiped the grin from his face, and knelt by her chair.

“Yes, my wee Ali?” It was their little joke, since she had at least an inch on him in bare feet, and usually wore heels when they went out.

Her answering smile was half-hearted, and she seemed tired. “I’m knackered, Billy,” she said softly. “And my flight leaves early. I think I’ll go up now.”

Before he could reply, Dom was rising from the couch, too, shedding popcorn bits left and right. “I think that’s my cue,” he said, without rancor. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds to your own devices. See you at the airport tomorrow, yeah? 9 o’clock?”

He dropped a kiss on Ali’s cheek, and pulled Billy off the ground in an exaggerated bearhug, before nearly dropping him. “And Bills?” He grinned cheekily on his way out the door, and gestured back at the popcorn-carpeted couch. “Tidy up the place, would ya?”

“Wanker!” Billy laughed after him as the door closed, but his smile faded when he turned and saw the serious look on Ali’s face. “What is it, love?”

She stared at him in silence for a moment. It seemed to him that there was suddenly an enormous amount of tension between them, and he half expected her to scream, although he didn’t know why. Ali never screamed.

“I hate that you’re making me do this,” she said finally. Billy thought that screaming might have been preferable to the unbearable calm of her voice.

“What do you mean, Ali? Making you do what?” He was frankly bewildered. Neither of them _wanted_ her to have to leave the next day, but she had work commitments in Scotland that she couldn’t fulfill from another continent. Why would she think he was making her do anything, or that he wanted this? _But you do want this, don’t you? You want her gone so you can -_ He stifled the voice in his head before it could go any further. It never had anything helpful to say. It only existed to torture him.

“Be the one to say it’s over,” she replied, almost matter-of-factly. Almost. The façade slipped for a moment, and she seemed small and hurt. That look sent an arrow of alarm and pain and guilt through Billy, even as her words sunk in.

“What –“

“Don’t. Just don’t, okay, Billy? D’you think I’m blind? Think I don’t see the way you look at him, the way you come alive when he walks in the room?”

“Dom?” Billy asked stupidly.

“No, bloody Prince Charles,” she snapped. Another crack in the façade. “Of course ‘Dom’. It’s always Dom. Always been Dom, hasn’t it?” She drew a breath that sounded like tears. “It was never BillyandAli, was it? No matter how hard I tried. No matter how hard _you_ tried – and yes, I know you did try, Billy. But it was always BillyandDom, and never a chance for anything else. Never a chance for us.”

“Listen, Ali, you don’t understand. It’s not like that with Dom and me.” He paused, searching for a way to make her understand.

But she laughed then, humorlessly. “Oh, Billy. You’re the one who doesn’t understand – or doesn’t _want_ to understand. Because it’s _exactly_ like that with you and Dom. And everyone sees it but you. Goodnight, Billy. My plane leaves early, and I won’t be coming back. You can sleep on the couch tonight.” With that, she turned and walked from the room, but not before muttering something low and bitter under her breath, something that sounded an awful lot like “maybe if you’re lucky, it’ll still smell like him.”

Billy sat there, just staring after her, wondering what he could do or say to convince her she was wrong. In the end, he got up and started picking up popcorn, with no answer in mind. And it took him a long time to get to sleep that night. Because the couch did indeed smell just like Dom, and the scent haunted him into his dreams.

***

The next day, Billy felt exactly as if he had a hangover, despite his two-beer limit the night before. His head was foggy, and his brain seemed to be working at quarter-speed. He ended up skipping breakfast because he felt slightly nauseated. While Dom and Ali chatted casually over croissants at the overpriced airport café, Billy found himself looking back and forth from one to the other, and trying not to grab his head to still the dull throbbing within. If Ali seemed a little subdued, Dom made up for it, obviously assuming that the lovers were merely saddened by their imminent separation.

As for Billy, he hadn’t come up with any brilliant arguments that would convince Ali not to leave him, but she didn’t seem to expect him to. He stared at her now, as she smiled politely at some outrageous joke of Dom’s. He felt as if he should be memorizing her face, her hands, the way her eyes looked when she laughed – just like that – but his glance kept slipping away to Dom. Dom, whose eyes were dancing like candle flames, merrily shining blue and grey and blue again with mirth and some inner light. Dom, whose long, tapered fingers were spreading jam on a croissant with a grace that made Billy’s mouth go dry.

Billy tore his gaze away from his mate and glanced quickly at Ali again, only to find her looking at him with distant, resigned eyes, her mouth smiling with a hint of bitter satisfaction. He closed his own eyes for a moment, and waited for that voice in his head, the one that always tormented him, but instead he heard only an unnerving silence that left him feeling as if he were being mocked.


	4. Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy has problems concentrating

“Alright then, Bills?”

Billy didn't hear Dom's question, even though the car radio wasn't that loud. He was staring at his friend, and hearing Ali's words from the night before.

 _It’s_ exactly _like that with you and Dom. And everyone sees it but you._

Did they really see it? _Everyone?_ Not Dom, obviously, because Dom was just looking at him like he had a screw loose, not like he wanted to jump Billy's bones, or fall to one knee (if he wasn't driving, that is) and propose marriage. So if was "like that", then it wasn't "him and Dom" at all - it was just him. But was it even him, really? Or was Ali just looking for a reason to break up with him, or maybe just seeing things that weren't there?

He knew it wasn't fair to her. He loved her – how could he not? She was sweet and sexy and intelligent and responsible, and she'd make a wonderful wife and mother. She was exactly what he always wanted. So why hadn't he fought harder to keep her?

Maybe it was because he knew that in a way she'd been right. Even if he and Dom weren't together "like that", their friendship was the most important relationship Billy had. Ali shouldn't have to compete with that. No one should. So what the hell was he going to do? How was he ever going to get to a place in life where he could have friendship with Dom _and_ a relationship, a wife and kids, everything he'd planned for? Because he knew giving up friendship with Dom wasn't the answer. It wasn't even a question.

Just for a moment, he pictured them as old men, sharing a house in New Zealand, maybe, somewhere on the beach. Wearing little old man clothes, and walking barefoot together in the sand, like little old hobbit-men should. The thought made him smile.

"You in there, Boyd?"

Billy blinked. "Sorry Dom, just spaced out for a sec. What were you saying?"

"I was asking whether you wanted to do some surfing today," Dom repeated patiently.

Billy opened his mouth to reply, but the image of Dom in his wetsuit, emerging from the ocean with water dripping from his hair, and eyes laughing merrily popped suddenly into his mind. The unexpected urge to peel the wetsuit away from the vision and lick seawater from the flat stomach it covered was so strong that it shook Billy to the core. He was staring at Dom again, and he licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry. His mind's eye saw his own hands reach for the zipper of his best mate's suit, saw Dom's eyes darken as he eased it down, and pushed away the cloth to reveal firm pecs and hard abs – and even harder flesh below. Heard Dom moan as Billy knelt before him in the sand and –

“Um, Billy? Earth to Bills, any intelligent life there?”

Billy flushed. What the hell was wrong with him? "Sorry, I, uh...sorry. I'm just out of it today," he muttered lamely, wishing he had brought a jacket he could lay in his lap to hide the uncomfortable bulge his imagination had inspired.

“Are you OK, mate? I’m starting to worry. You seem really out there. I mean, you barely said goodbye to Ali or anything. Ya gotta snap out of it, man, or she’s gonna find some bloke back home to take your place,” Dom joked, but there was real concern in his eyes.

“I’m fine.” Billy barely recognized his own voice, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “Ali’s…we’re fine. Just a long night, y’know?”

Dom chuckled, mistaking his meaning. “So that’s it, eh? Had to make that last time count, so she’d think of you every night she’s away. Did you get _any_ sleep?”

Billy laughed weakly. “Nah. Who needs sleep, anyway?” He could have screamed with relief. Trust Dom to be oblivious to the fact that Billy had just been mentally undressing _him_. "What were we – oh, right, surfing." He swallowed jerkily. "Sorry, but I've got a meeting on set in about an hour. Take a rain check?"

Dom shook his head. “I can't believe these Hollywood suits. I mean, who schedules meetings on Saturdays, anyway?”

This time Billy’s smile was genuine. “Dom, it’s Tuesday.”

His friend blinked. “Really? Damn. Always lose track of days in the summer. Especially when I don’t have to work,” he added with that cheeky grin of his.

Billy rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, some of us are employed year-round, wanker. Now, are you gonna hurry up, or do I have to get out and thumb it?”  
  
They made it all the way back to Billy's flat without him spacing out, or imagining Dom naked even once. He wasn't sure whether he should be more worried or proud.


	5. Fantasy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy tries to escape his problems; companion to chapter 2.

Her name was Meredith and she was the director’s PA or secretary or something along those lines, but Billy didn’t much care what she did for a living. He knew her type well enough. She was a starfucker, which was perfectly OK with him. At least he didn't have to feel guilty for using her to shut out Ali’s departure and the things she’d said to him – things he really didn’t want to think about. Because she was using him, too, and he'd known it from the moment she'd looked at him with those big blue-grey eyes – eyes that certainly didn't remind him of Dom's – and said "Call me Merrie." Well, fuck. Fine, she wanted to shag Billy "Pippin" Boyd? Fine. He’d take her home and screw her brains out, and not think about Ali or Dom or any of the thoughts that had tortured him all day long. But he wasn't going to call her Merrie, dammit.

But Billy wasn't thinking about that at the moment. He wasn't thinking a whole lot at the moment, thanks to the makers of a certain fine Scotch whiskey. And what few thoughts he _was_ having centered around the feel of her lush breasts pressed against him, the wet flick of her tongue against his earlobe, and the pleasant way her hand was squeezing his inner thigh. A few more inches, though, and she’d realize he hadn’t had nearly enough to drink – or more likely a tad too much, he thought dimly, trying to remember just how much Scotch he’d actually managed to put away before bringing her back to his place. It was all a little fuzzy at the moment.

As she peeled back his shirt, Billy was only half-conscious of her pressing rouged lips to his chest. Through the 90-proof haze, he was remembering something Dom had told him about once, an American expression he’d gotten in turn from Elijah. _Whiskey dick_ , they called his condition. He giggled. Silly name. Silly Americans. Silly Elijah, and silly Dom, too.

Elijah and Dom, his drink-fogged brain repeated. There were rumors about those two. Billy’d heard them. Knew they weren’t true, too. But that didn’t stop his tipsy imagination from showing him a picture of Dom kneeling between Lij’s spread legs, working feverishly on the young Yank’s limp cock with hands…and lips. The image should have made him giggle again, but instead it made his own dormant cock twitch and rise. Maybe not “whiskey dick” after all, then.

He frowned. There was something about the image that _really_ irritated him, for reasons he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Mmm…speaking of fingers, he sighed happily at the feel of Meredith’s slipping into his boxers, finding his growing erection with a sure, practiced touch.

His drunken imagination took advantage of his distraction, by taking hold of the image in his mind and _twisting_ it ever so slightly…there, much better. Not nearly so irritating. He dimly heard his companion gasp with delight as his cock hardened suddenly, fully, while the new image burned itself into his mind.

This time, there was no Elijah in the picture. He, Billy, sat naked on his bed, while Dom looked up at him with a knowing look in his smoky blue eyes, pressing the head of Billy’s hard cock into the pout of his soft lips. Billy groaned aloud at the imagined sensation as Imaginary Dom flicked his tongue across the vein that ran the length of Imaginary Billy’s bobbing erection. The pleasure of the unreal sensation was so strong that Billy collapsed backward on the bed, until he was in a half-laying position, weight supported on his elbows, head thrown back in trembling arousal.

The small part of his brain that wasn’t entirely disabled by the quantity of fine single-malt he’d imbibed tried to warn him that this was one of those things he hadn’t wanted to think about, one of those bloody confusing worries that had driven him to the arms of the now-naked woman who was even at that moment working his trousers and boxers off with little help from himself. But Billy's imagination had stopped taking orders from any sane part of his brain at some point during his eighth finger of 25-year-old Glenmorangie.

He realized with something akin to delight that if he kept his eyes closed, he could almost believe it was Dom’s beautiful tapered fingers stroking the sensitive skin behind his testicles, and Dom’s tongue lapping at the underside of his heavy cock. Billy kept his eyes shut, even as the obscenities spilled from his mouth.

“Fuck, yeah, jes’ li’ tha’…” _Dom_ , he finished silently. He was still coherent enough to realize he didn't want to say anything that would see him left alone with his insistent arousal and forbidden thoughts. Not when the combination of fantasy and reality had him so firmly in their hot, slick grip.

When the woman in his bed took him deeply into her mouth without warning, Billy couldn’t prevent the cry that escaped him. He thrust up into the back of her throat, even as he imagined Dom’s velvet-rough tongue working the head, the vein, the base, the slit. When she started a rhythm that would bring him rapidly to the edge of his endurance, he fucked Dom’s beautiful mouth in his mind, wishing he could feel the light abrasion of his friend’s beard against the sensitive skin of his thighs. When she rose up over him, Billy’s imagination worked overtime, and his hands twitched as, in his mind, they were spreading lube over and in the tight entrance he so badly wanted to fill.

As she sank down on his swollen, stiff cock, and cried out in a too-feminine voice, he felt the gradual give of muscle relaxing, and heard the deep, husky cry from his best mate’s throat. The sound, echoing only in his mind, was enough to make him thrust upward uncontrollably, until he could almost feel Dom’s hard cock against his belly. He moaned and thrust again and again, the feel and sound that existed only in his mind dominating even the reality of the woman above him.

Even as he felt that hot, sweet tension build from the soles of his feet, the overwhelming feeling that his fantasy lover was really there swept over him and he opened his eyes and looked into those of his vision, his dream…not above him, but at the door? The shock of staring into those smoky blue-grey eyes – even wilder, even hotter than he imagined – was too much for Billy, and he came hard, shuddering with an ecstasy so sweet he didn’t think he could bear it. Unable to help himself, he called out to the vision by name, never breaking the hot glance they shared.

It was only when the vision turned and ran that Billy realized, as he slowly returned to reality, that he was well and truly fucked.


	6. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dom is confused about his feelings

Dom woke up hard and confused in a tangle of sheets and sweat. It was mid-afternoon, more than a week after Ali left – and more importantly, more than a week since his best mate had opened his eyes to find Dom watching him shag some woman senseless. A full nine days since Dom had watched Billy come in a shuddering rush with Dom’s name on his lips. The image haunted Dom night and day. He had no idea how he’d finally made it home that night, by some wandering route that had taken him over an hour and not done a thing to relieve his insistent erection. Unable to do anything else, he’d stumbled into the house, locked the door, jerked out his throbbing cock and come after a mere three strokes, crying out his best friend’s name.

It was a memory he’d tried to forget. It wasn’t something he wanted to think about, not something he was _prepared_ to think about. Billy was his best mate, full stop. And Dom was straight. Well, mostly, anyway. As straight as anybody, he figured. And yet here he was, hard as a rock again, with Billy on his mind, and his hand – which had moved without his permission – stroking urgently over his straining cock.

This time it was a dream that had set his hips to bucking mindlessly, and his breath catching in his throat. In the dream, he was back in that beach house he and Billy had shared in New Zealand, except that it wasn’t, quite. It was different in that way that dream-places are, because he no sooner walked in the front door in search of his friend than he stumbled into a doorway that opened into Billy’s bedroom – and stopped. There was Billy, on the bed, jeans pushed down to his ankles, back arching off the bed, fisting his cock so furiously that it was obvious he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. Dom-in-the-dream groaned, but was frozen to the spot, just like he had been a week ago in the waking world. Billy didn’t hear him. He was too caught up in what he was doing, and moments later he was yelling Dom’s name, far louder than he had in reality, and Dom was trying to call out, to answer back, to move toward him, but he couldn’t.

And so Dom awoke, hard, wanting and confused. He didn’t know what the dream meant, but he had an urge to dissect it, rationalize it away as simply him missing his mate, or being homesick for New Zealand, or wanting a puppy or _something_. Anything that had nothing to do with what he wouldn’t admit that he really wanted at that mindless moment, which was to fuck Billy until neither of them could walk for another week. Since his cock wasn’t taking orders from his brain, and neither was his hand, a few seconds later he spurted cum onto the sweat-soaked sheets and yelled with intense pleasure, unable to feel regret in the moment.

It was only after he roused himself into a very chilly shower that he wondered again if he were losing his mind. Perhaps it was just that he hadn’t brought a girl home in so long. He couldn’t quite explain it, but there had been so few since he’d moved to LA. It wasn’t that the ladies here weren’t willing – quite the opposite. It was just that at the end of the night, he found himself wanting to go home alone more often than not. Maybe he should have been worried long before now. This couldn’t be normal for a bloke his age.

He spent the afternoon the same way as he had for the nine days: wandering the house restlessly, staring at the phone and willing it to ring, wishing he had the guts to call Billy first. He just wanted this stupid thing out of the way. He hadn’t meant to walk in, hadn’t meant to stay and watch, and Billy certainly hadn’t said his name out of anything but surprise. Not wanting. Not mind-numbing, pulse-shattering pleasure. Just surprise.

And not just any surprise, but surprise while fucking some tart in the bed Billy’d shared with Ali just hours before. Something Dom surely hadn’t been meant to see, let alone that unforgettable orgasm that coincided so awkwardly with Billy noticing his peeping friend.

 _Shit._ No wonder Billy didn’t want to call. He’d be embarrassed, too, if that happened to him. Dom nearly had his mobile to his ear when he remembered why _he_ didn’t want to call. The memory of Billy’s eyes, Billy’s voice giving him a hard-on over a week later. The worry that he couldn’t talk on the bloody phone without coming at the sound of his own name falling from Billy’s lips in even the most innocent of ways.

Fuck. He couldn’t go on like this. Billy was his best mate, and it wasn’t like he was going to be in Dom’s town forever. That thought hurt, worse than usual. Time was precious, and they had no business wasting it over Billy’s embarrassment, and Dom’s troubling reactions of late. He had to do something, dammit.

He glanced out the window. The summer sun was already setting, which meant that Dom had already wasted another day. He reached for the phone, resolute.

And then it rang.


	7. In vino

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dom gets a drunken phone call

“Hello?”

“Dommeh?”

Dom’s heart stopped. “Billy…was just about to call you, mate.” His voice sounded relatively normal, to his great relief.

“Didye fin’ th’ sunglashes then?” Billy sounded both drunk and nervous, which made Dom feel a little better. It’d probably be easier to deal with a drunk Billy right now, because he’d be less likely to remember any idiotic thing that popped out of Dom’s mouth.

“Sunglasses? Bills, if you lost your shades again –“

“Nahme. Ali. Called yesserday. Said she wanned her sunglashes back. S’not coming back to get ‘em.”

“Um…”

“S’not comin’ back at all. Shays I love ye.”

“Er, I love her too, but I don’t think she left them–“

“Nah her, fuckwi’. She don’ love ye. She don’ even love meh, don’ think. S’okay. Don’ love her, Dommeh. Love ye.”

Dom’s mouth went dry, even though he knew his drunken mate was talking about a different kind of love than Dom suddenly and inexplicably wanted him to be confessing. “Ah, love you, too, ya drunk twat,” he responded as lightly as he could. Whatever had happened with Ali – and Dom was absolutely _not_ grinning like an idiot over that, whatever it was – it explained a lot. Such as Billy’s adventures with a certain brunette last Tuesday, for one thing. Or this phone call for another. Not to mention why Billy was pissed as a newt at – Dom checked his watch – 9 p.m. on a Thursday.

“Nuh. Nah li’ that. _Love_ ye. Wan’ ye.” Billy’s voice dropped a register as Dom’s heart leapt into his throat. “Bin thinkin’ bout ye all week. Wannin’ to kish ye. On th’ mouth,” he added unnecessarily, reminding Dom that his mate was dead drunk, and probably didn’t have a clue what he was on about. Which didn’t stop Dom from getting harder, faster than he’d ever thought possible.

“Bills, you’re blotto, mate –“ he started unsteadily.

“Nuh! Wan’ ye. Wanna tashte ye. Yer lipss. Pretty lipss,” Billy sing-songed. “An’…an’” he paused, and Dom held his breath to hear the next whisper. “An’ yer cock.”

Dom swallowed hard, unable to respond. The cock in question jumped violently with Billy’s every word, clearly agreeable to the idea.

“Shay shommat, Dommeh,” Billy pleaded hoarsely. “Shay ye wan’ meh to suck yer cock. Pleash. Wanna. Wanna-wanna sho bad…”

Dom opened his mouth, but no words came out. How had his hand found its way inside his fly? He didn’t care, couldn’t focus on anything except Billy’s voice and the electric signals it was sending to his cock.

“Dommeh.” Dom’s heart stopped. Billy sounded so serious, almost sober…but not quite. “Wanna fuck ye.”

His hand shaking, Dom hung up the phone.


	8. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy sobers up and considers consequences

Billy leaned his head back against the hard tiles of the shower, and let the icy water assault him. He was feeling more sober by the minute, and much as he’d rather have crawled back into the oblivion of drunkenness that had brought forth his ill-advised confessions on the phone, he knew he needed to get his head sorted. He needed to figure out what the hell he was going to do to convince Dom that it had been…a joke, maybe a prank, or some sort of drunken confusion. Not a case of _in vino veritas_ , as it were.

The words had felt so right coming out. His rational mind had tried to warn him, but he’d done his damnedest to drown it out with beer. And not even good beer. He was going to be hungover _and_ emotionally fucked by morning. But just for a moment…it had felt good to say those things, especially after the last nine days. Days he’d spent staring at the phone, wishing he could call his best mate, wishing the damn thing would ring and it would be Dom telling him it was OK and…what? That Dom wanted him? Needed him? Loved him? He was barely read to admit to those thoughts, those feelings himself, and they’d been torturing him for far longer than he could have admitted, even to himself before that night last week.

But from the moment he had looked into Dom’s eyes and immediately fallen headlong into the most intense and amazing orgasm of his life…well, ever since then it had seemed pointless to try to lie to himself. He was attracted to Dom, but it was also something more than that, and he just couldn’t deny it anymore. He loved Dom. Not just as his best mate – but that, too, maybe even most importantly – but also as the one person he wanted to spend the rest of his days with. The one he physically ached to be with, even if was just sitting on the same couch watching bad movies and drinking cheap beer at 3 am, laughing their arses off over something no one else would understand. And he ached to touch Dom, taste him, to do everything he’d said in that damned phone call and more. He couldn’t lie anymore. At least, not after…well, however much beer he’d downed since they’d called the shoot off at noon on account of some technical delay.

Did that make him gay? Bi? He didn’t care, if it meant that he could be with Dom. It didn’t fit in with his plans, but Dom had been rearranging Billy’s plans since the moment they met. And yet, they had fit together like puzzle pieces from the very beginning. Everyone had said it, including them. Couldn’t they fit together in one more way? Surely he hadn’t imagined the heat he’d seen in Dom’s eyes that night. He needed to know that that burning glance had been real.

And so he’d called Dom, with an excuse so flimsy it didn’t even fool himself, drunk as he was. He’d needed just to hear his friend’s voice so badly. And then the words had come tumbling out. He hadn’t planned it, but they had. He didn’t know what he’d expected to hear, in that delusional state of comforting intoxication, a condition that had since all but abandoned him. He didn’t know whether he thought Dom would laugh at him, or confess that he felt the same. Billy had just known he needed to say it. And it had felt almost…natural. Right. Like being BillyandDom was natural and right. For a moment, it had felt so right that he’d let himself hope…

And then Dom had hung up the phone.

Billy slammed the faucet off and grabbed the towel from the rack. He hid in it, not wanting to admit that the wetness running down his face was hotter than the shower water, and infinitely more bitter. He tried to avoid his own eyes in the mirror, but eventually his own red-rimmed, crystalline green gaze pinned him.

So he was crying. He got emotional when he was drunk, he thought belligerently. It had happened before, nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing to hide from. Even if hiding was exactly what he wanted to do at the moment: hide from his own drunken stupidity, his own self-destructive ramblings that might well have cost him the friendship of the person dearest to him in the entire world. His own heart breaking at the sound of a dial tone.

He sniffled a little as he stumbled out of the bathroom, and down the hall toward the kitchen, still dripping shower water onto the hardwood floors. He could hear the coffeemaker finishing its brewing cycle. He’d never put much stock in cold showers and coffee to sober a drunk up, but it didn’t hurt to try. At least the discomfort of the shower had distracted him momentarily.

Hitching his towel up on his hips, he glanced at the clock on the stove. 9:35 - half an hour since he’d made an arse of himself so spectacularly on the phone. It seemed like an eternity. He was reaching into a cupboard for a mug when he heard the front door slam. His heart stopped, and his not-quite-functional brain refused to operate. He stood there gaping as the intruder rounded the corner into the kitchen. Billy gasped in some confused mixture of horror and relief. _Dom._

A second later he was flung up against the refrigerator, Dom’s hands on either side of Billy’s head, face inches from his own, looking angrier than Billy had ever seen him. Billy realized for the first time that Dom could actually be quite dangerous, and could probably do Billy significant physical harm if he wanted. He’d never thought Dom would want to, but at that moment, he wasn’t sure.

“Dommeh,” he started nervously, only to be cut off as Dom seized his shoulders and slammed Billy hard against the refrigerator door again, pinning him there with his body. Billy was mortified to feel himself harden abruptly at the rough contact, but Dom didn’t seem to notice.

“Don’t,” Dom snarled “Ever. Do that. To me. Again.” And then his mouth came crushing down on Billy’s, nearly hard enough to draw blood, but Billy didn’t care.


	9. Surrender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dom and Billy forget why they shouldn't

The minute Dom felt Billy’s hot, wet tongue slip into his mouth, his mind went blank. He couldn’t remember why he’d been upset, driving like a madman to get over here. He couldn’t remember why he’d hung up on his friend in the first place. And he damn well couldn’t remember why he shouldn’t be moaning into his best mate’s mouth, or grabbing Billy’s bare, muscular shoulders to keep from falling, as his knees turned to jelly at the feel of the hard cock straining, rubbing, thrusting against his own through the layers of cloth.

Billy took advantage of Dom’s distraction by sliding his greedy hands up under his friend’s shirt, craving the feel of Dom’s hot, slick flesh beneath his sensitive palms, his callused fingers eliciting shivers as they stroked up Dom’s torso. He felt the muscles in Dom’s belly leap, heard the swift intake of breath as he circled Dom’s navel with a thumb, and shuddered as a hot surge of triumph and lust overtook him at the tactile pleasure.

His eyes glazed with passion and his head tilted backward, allowing Dom access to the sensitive skin of Billy’s neck. Not one to waste an opportunity, Dom licked hotly down to that point where neck meets shoulder. Billy moaned, flexed his fingers hard into the flesh of Dom’s chest, tugged lightly at the hair there, as Dom found the sweet spot with his teeth and nipped just hard enough to leave a mark. The thought of Dom marking him was too much for Billy, and he yanked one of his hands out of Dom’s shirt to bury it in his mate’s hair, jerking Dom’s head back, so he could kiss him again, fiercely. Their tongues battled for dominance, invading each other’s mouths with wet, hungry thrusts, teeth scoring sensitive lips so that tongues could lick the pain away with breathtaking tenderness. Dom devoured Billy’s perfectly shaped lips, stroking them with his long tongue, nipping with his crooked teeth, soothing with the hot, gentle slide of soft flesh on flesh as his own lips parted, coaxed, pleaded, surrendered. Their tongues tangled as the kiss swiftly turned heated again, rough and fierce and hungry as it had been gentle and soft the moment before.

The hand that was still under Dom’s shirt pinched a nipple, hard, then flicked gently over the sensitized nub as Dom thrust his hips roughly into Billy’s in response. Billy’s other hand raked nails down the back of Dom’s neck, drawing forth a low groan, as Dom writhed against him, begging for more. His own hands were stroking and teasing the taut, flushed skin of Bills’ neck, shoulders, back, chest, abdomen. A flick of Dom’s finger, and the towel fell to the floor. Billy gasped as the next thrust of his hips brought the sensitive underside of his stiff, heavy cock in rasping contact with the rough denim of Dom’s jeans. He whimpered, and gave Dom a little shove backward.

Dom stumbled back a step, and fell into a kitchen chair, as Billy reached over and pulled his shirt up over his head. Dom looked up to see Billy directly in front of him, his cock jutting proudly in Dom’s face. He licked his lips, mesmerized.

“Dommeh,” Billy groaned, nudging his friend’s legs apart so he could stand between them, his hands on Dom’s shoulders.

Dom reached out and grabbed Billy’s bare arse roughly, pulling him closer. He flexed his grip in the tight, resilient cheeks as he brought Billy’s bobbing cock to his lips. He’d dreamed about this ever since he’d seen that tart sucking Billy’s cock last week. _Mine_ , he thought fiercely, irrationally, expelling a warm breath on the overheated flesh. Distantly, he heard something that sounded like a sob, and Billy’s body quivered, but the only thing on Dom’s mind was the erection straining to touch his lips. Still cupping his mate’s arse with one hand, Dom brought the other around to grasp the swollen head of Billy’s hard cock. Billy cried out, his hands slipping into Dom’s hair, and Dom smiled, stroking his hand down the length until he brushed the damp curls at the base. He thumbed the vein experimentally, just the way he liked it, and was rewarded with another moan. He stroked Billy’s testicles, found and rubbed that magical spot behind them, first gently, and then harder until Billy made a keening sound that made Dom smile. He let the silky head of Billy’s cock brush his lips oh-so-softly as he looked up to find Billy’s eyes closed, his head tilted back, his soft lips parted, as his hips rocked into Dom’s firm grasp.

Fuck, but this was turning him on, Dom thought. His own already-rockhard cock was straining at the confines of his jeans, the oversensitized skin rubbing almost painfully against the rough denim, as he contemplated the throbbing hard-on in his hand. Almost shyly, his long tongue flicked out, grazing the underside of the head. Billy stiffened. Dom smacked his lips in approval and dove in for a more thorough taste. He licked wetly from base to silky tip, then dipped the tip of his tongue into the slit. The precum there tasted so good, so sexy, so… _Billy_ that Dom thought he was going to cream his pants. He whimpered loudly, suddenly desperate for more. Pushing his lips into an eager pout, he pressed Billy’s hot, silky cock slickly into them until it slid past the resistance with a pop, into his warm, wet mouth. He sucked hungrily at the head, and was rewarded with a moan, and another salty drop coating his tongue.

Billy bucked his hips and grasped Dom’s head hard, pulling it forward as he thrust in the delicious wet heat. Dom had a fleeting moment of worry. He could only fit a fraction of the slick, stiff flesh into his mouth, but he desperately wanted it _all_. He wasn’t sure he could deep throat, but –

“Dommeh.” Billy’s voice cut through his thoughts with the words he’d been subconsciously waiting to hear. “Suck meh, Dommeh. Oh _fuck_. Yeah, jes’ li’ tha’, please Dommeh, need it, need yer mouth, yer – fuck. Please, Dommeh –“ Billy’s voice broke on his name, as Dom took him in all the way to the hilt, inspired by the lust that surged through him at his mate’s words. He held Billy’s hips in place for a moment, as he let the muscles of his throat gradually relax around the fullness of Billy’s pulsing cock. Dom exhaled through his nose, the breath mussing the damp auburn curls. His tongue worked the vein thoroughly on the upstroke, slicking up to the head, rubbing the sweet spot beneath it, swirling around the tip, then back down as Dom found a rhythm he liked.

Billy’s pleasure was obvious from the incoherent and intoxicatingly sexy noises he was making. Unable to resist, Dom eased his bruising grip on the soft pink skin of Billy’s muscular arse in order to massage his own hard-on through his jeans with one hand.

“Fuck yeah, Dommeh, ohhhh…Fuck!” Billy’s body suddenly jerked frantically, fucking Dom’s mouth hard and fast. He struggled to regain control, and finally managed to hold himself back to a steady, moaning thrust. Dom looked up to see green eyes dark with lust, watching him stroke his own cock as he sucked Billy’s with all the hunger and need in him.

Billy had never seen anything hotter in his life than Dom’s mouth wrapped around his cock while his friend stroked himself. Billy’s toes curled, as he felt the first tingle of orgasm swell, and he forced himself to dig his fingers into his Dom’s hair and yank his friend back, the purple head of Billy’s cock popping audibly from the delicious confinement of Dom’s lips.

Dom whimpered, lips swollen and parted, as he stared after his newfound plaything with obvious longing. His hand was still enthusiastically working the bulge in his tight jeans. Billy had to grab his own erection hard around the base, and squeeze tight to keep from coming at the sight and sound.

“Fuck, Dommeh, you make me wanna come,” he gasped.

Dom looked up at him, slate blue eyes full of lust and incomprehension. The only thing that kept Billy from grabbing him and thrusting back into the heavenly wet heat of Dom’s beautiful mouth was the memory of the drunken promises he’d made on the phone, promises he fully intended to keep.

He grabbed Dom’s hand instead, pulling him to his feet. As their naked chests met for the first time, skin on skin, taut muscle and sweat-slicked flesh brushing, gliding, pressing, they moaned together. It felt so good, so right…Billy knew if he was going to make good on those promises, he’d better do it now, while he still could.

Billy slid down Dom’s hard body until he was kneeling in front of his friend. With one hand, he flicked the button open, reveling in the indrawn breath it caused, the way Dom’s stomach muscles jumped beneath his hot fingers. With the other hand he stroked up Dom’s thigh to cup the heated bulge in front of his face, just hard enough to make Dom groan and push forward into his grasp. Billy laughed low in his throat, and felt Dom’s cock leap at the sound. By the time Billy worked the zipper down, there were mewling noises falling from Dom’s lips, and his hips were thrusting desperately against teasing hands that refused him the satisfying friction and pressure he craved.

Billy smiled a Cheshire smile as he yanked Dom’s jeans to his knees and watched Dom’s cock slap against his belly, inches from Bill’s lips. He grabbed Dom’s hips and pulled him close, almost to the touching point – but not quite. Dom made a strangled sound as he watched Billy lick his lips. Then…one lick, under the head. A groan. Another lick, over the slit. A whimper. A lingering tonguestroke from base to tip. Whispered obscenities, promises, threats, pleas.

“Such a mouth,” Billy mocked. He looked straight into Dom’s eyes and growled, “I told ye I was gonna suck yer cock, Dommeh. An’ now I’m gonna do it.”

Dom whimpered, but Billy wasn’t finished.

“An’ then,” he paused, his eyes locked on Dom’s, “I’m gonna fuck ye, Dommeh. Tha’s what ye want, innit?”

Dom couldn’t breathe, couldn’t make a sound, but he didn’t have to. Billy knew. All Dom could do was watch as Billy, his eyes never leaving Dom’s, dipped his head to engulf Dom’s cock in tight, wet heat, cheeks hollowing, tongue stroking, throat muscles working as he took Dom in deep, slick strokes until his lips hit the dark hair at the base. Dom cried out. Billy smiled, lips curling possessively around Dom’s cock. The taste of Dom clung to his lips and tongue, and he felt his own erection throb hotly. He dragged his lips and tongue slowly back up to the tip and sucked hard, making Dom grab at Billy’s head and flex his fingers convulsively into Billy’s scalp.

As he plunged his lips slickly back down Dom’s weeping cock, Billy slipped one of his hands behind Dom’s balls, caressing, stroking, nudging that sensitive point until Dom moaned and thrust urgently into his mouth. Billy slid his finger along the crack of Dom’s arse until it encountered the sensitive, velvety pucker he was seeking. He teased lightly, enjoying the stuttering whimpers and mewling cries Dom made, before slipping it slowly inside, past the tight ring of muscle. Dom yelled as Billy found his prostate, and started stroking it in time to his cocksucking rhythm. Billy felt Dom’s muscles tighten from the inside, and thought his eyes would cross from the intense, almost electric surge of lust it sent through him. It wouldn’t be long now.

The need to keep sucking Dom off, to feel and taste the hot spurts and shudders of Dom’s orgasm warred with Billy’s need to bury his own throbbing cock deep inside of Dom. His body pulsed with need, telling him he wasn’t going to last much longer either way. With an almost painful reluctance, he released Dom’s cock slowly, letting it slip from between his tight lips with several lingering licks that inevitably had Dom whimpering and thrusting back toward his hot mouth again.

Billy grasped Dom’s bucking hips firmly, reminding himself, as the sight of Dom’s jerking cock threatened to distract him, of his goal, his promise. Using Dom’s body as an anchor, he rose to his feet unsteadily, and looked his mate in the eyes.

He smiled hesitantly at Dom, feeling suddenly shy as they faced each other. Dom’s answering smile was a mixture of mirrored insecurity and burning arousal. Billy reached out and took his friend’s hand. They locked fingers, and Billy felt his throat tighten suddenly with unexpected emotion. Looking away, he turned and led Dom silently down the hall to the bedroom, where he flicked on the bedside lamp. It shed a warm glow on the room.

Dom looked around, and couldn’t help but remember the last time he was here. The thought – along with all others – slipped away, though, as Billy pushed him gently back onto the bed, and climbed on top of him, settling his knees between Dom’s, rubbing their naked cocks together deliciously, and stealing every thought from his mind. Dom noticed hazily that Billy had produced a bottle of hand lotion from somewhere, and was squirting some into the palm of his hand. A moment later, Dom flinched slightly as his erection was bathed in the coolness of the lotion. As it warmed with the friction of Billy’s hands against Dom’s cock, however, it soon had him moaning and thrusting slickly upwards with a growing urgency. If Billy didn’t hurry, Dom was going to come in his mate’s beautiful hand, and there’d be nothing he could do about it.

Billy employed a two-fisted stroke that brought Dom to the gasping, pleading brink in seconds. Billy bit down on his lip hard to distract himself from the burning arousal that clenched at his own gut. He slowed his rhythm and reluctantly released Dom’s desperately jerking erection so that he could messily lift Dom’s calves to rest on his shoulders. He applied a little more lotion to his hands – thoughtfully warming it between them this time – before bringing one hand back to continue the stroking motion that Dom was wordlessly pleading for, and sliding the other one back to Dom’s puckered entrance, where he spread as much of the lubrication around as he could before slipping a finger slowly inside. Dom yelped and arched off the bed, pulsing with need as Billy stroked his prostate. While Dom was thrusting and begging loudly, Billy slipped a second finger inside the tight, hot entrance, and waited for Dom’s muscles to relax again. Dom’s mouth, however, took no notice. It was whimpering and moaning and promising obscene things that made Billy throb painfully. He choked Dom’s name, and Dom bucked his hips hard in answer. Billy stopped stroking Dom’s cock for fear his friend would come before he meant to, but Dom kept moving, sliding up and down on Billy’s two fingers, moans escalating in pitch and tempo.

With his now-free hand, Billy awkwardly grabbed at the bottle of lotion, and managed to squeeze a little out – some of it into his hand, even – so he could hastily coat his own painfully stiff erection. Unable to wait any longer, he pulled his fingers abruptly out of Dom’s writhing body, and pressed the hot, swollen head of his cock to the opening.

Billy pushed forward, inching slowly into Dom’s body. He moaned. So did Dom. Billy looked into his mate’s eyes and saw desire, trust and something that he hoped was love. He leaned forward and kissed Dom, their lips stroking, sliding, claiming each others’ again and again, as his tongue slid into Dom’s mouth. He pushed forward again, another inch. Dom winced, and Billy froze, lifting his head. Then Dom arched _hard_ into him, and the head of Billy’s cock cleared the tense ring of muscle. Dom exhaled. Billy moaned, struggling to contain his body’s need to thrust deeper, harder, faster, _now_.

“Alright, there, Dommeh?” he croaked.

Dom exhaled again, his body relaxing. Billy recognized the technique from when Dom had tried to teach him yoga. He smiled, despite the urgent throbbing of his cock.

“Alright here, Bills.” Dom smiled, and took another deep breath, his body relaxing even more. He looked into Billy’s eyes, and slid a hand over his own belly to wrap around his swollen cock. Billy gasped, loving the sight almost more than he could bear. Dom grinned, stroking himself lightly. “Thought you were gonna fuck me?” he asked playfully, but the last word came out on a gasp, as Billy thrust in to the hilt.

Billy’s eyes searched Dom’s, but saw only mindless pleasure written there. Dom groaned and bucked his hips toward Billy. “Again!” he demanded, working his cock in earnest. Billy pulled his own cock nearly out of Dom’s throbbing heat, then thrust back in again. “ _Harder_ ,” Dom begged hoarsely, writhing as Billy hit his prostate again.

Billy lost control at the sound of that plea. His hips thrust forward of their own accord, craving the tight heat that far outshone anything he’d experienced before. That it was Dom at the source of that heat made Billy swell further, and he plunged forward more forcefully than he intended, slamming into Dom so hard he was afraid he’d hurt his friend. But the pleading whimpers coming from Dom’s mouth weren’t from pain, and Dom’s hand was flying slickly up and down his visibly straining cock. Billy took this to mean he could do as he pleased, and started pounding into his mate fast and hard. Their moans and cries and shouts mingled, and Dom exploded a moment later. The sight of Dom coming wetly on their flushed skin, shuddering and pulsing around him, and crying Billy’s name was too much for Billy to take, and he plunged over the edge of his orgasm a moment later, filling Dom with wet heat in long, shuddering spurts.

Panting, Billy collapsed in a sticky heap on Dom’s chest. As Billy’s erection shrank slowly out of Dom’s body, he tried to push himself off his friend – lover? – but Dom pulled him back down, holding Billy tenderly against his him.

***

As Billy slipped off into a sated, peaceful sleep, Dom held him close, unable to let go. He’d been so angry on his way over – although now he could admit that it had been fear, not anger that had been driving him. The fear had only pretended to be anger, because anger was something he could explain away to himself: he was angry at Billy for not calling all week, then calling up drunk and spouting nonsense and getting Dom all hard, just like he had been all week…well, anger didn’t have to be rational, Dom supposed.

But fear, that was something else. Fear would have meant admitting that he had something to be afraid of, and that confession would have led him to another, which was that his fear wasn’t of Billy at all, but of himself. He was afraid of his own emotions – not just because of their object, but because of their strength, which threatened to overpower him, to overwhelm him. He’d been OK with those emotions when he could corner them off, tell himself that they were just friends, and he was just a sappy git whenever he thought about just how much he loved his Bills. But if he admitted they were something else, that they were the all-consuming love and need and longing he had for the one person he wanted to be with every minute of every day, well then it got scary. Then he might start to feel like he was losing himself, being consumed and overwhelmed by all that emotion.

Except that laying here, holding Billy in his arms, he wasn’t scared. Because Billy was part of him, and how could he lose himself when the most important part of him was snoring softly into his chest?

Sex could change so much, and that was scary, of course, but it was DomandBilly now, and he didn’t have anything to be afraid of anymore. As sleep finally claimed him, he prayed that that was true.


	10. Hit And Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy gets a phone call, Dom hears bad news

Billy drifted slowly into wakefulness, reluctant to leave the safety of his happy dreamworld, where Dom loved him and they had mind-blowing sex. Who could blame him? Compared to that, the real world was a cold, lonely place. But as he slowly regained his senses, he noticed something that was distinctly out of place in that cold, lonely world. Specifically, the warm body beneath him, and the wonderfully protective arms around him. His heart stopped for a second. He lifted his head slowly, carefully, and looked up at the sleeping face of his best mate, and as of last night, his lover. His heart started up again abruptly, and suddenly felt so full he thought it might explode. He didn’t mind a bit.

Dom’s face was so peaceful, so different from the vibrant, excitable bloke Billy knew best. His long, beautiful eyelashes rested gently on his lovely cheekbones, and there was a smile on his pretty lips. Billy felt himself smiling back, feeling like a complete nutter and loving it.

He turned his head, and suddenly a wave of nausea struck him hard. He disengaged himself as gently but quickly as he could from Dom’s arms and ran down the hall to the bathroom, only barely making it in time. As he emptied his stomach of the cheap beer and quite a bit of his supper, he realized that he was facing the worst hangover he’d had since his teens. And he was pretty sure he’d never been happier.

The loud ring of the phone assaulted his poor, aching head and quickly distracted him from his giddiness. He wasn’t ready for Dom to wake up yet – he needed to compose himself first, figure out what to say, how to act – so he tore down the hall toward the kitchen at a dead run, ignoring the tilting of his stomach. He grabbed for the phone, somehow knocking it off the counter loudly. He swore at it as he snatched it off the floor, barely maintaining his balance.

“Lovely to hear your voice, too,” the voice on the other end said, a bit stiffly.

Billy groaned inwardly. “Hello, Ali.”

“You don’t sound so good, Billy.”

“Yeah, well, it’s early, and I’m hungover.” He wanted to be personable, really he did. But being polite and charming to one’s ex-lover while one had a killer hangover, not to mention having one’s current lover in the other room – well, that just seemed to be asking a bit much.

“Drinking again, Billy? I thought we agreed yesterday that you should just call Dom and tell him how you feel.” She sounded more than a little disappointed in him.

Billy sighed. It was obviously not going to be a short conversation. Then again, she’d been a real friend to him these last few days. “Dom’s here,” he replied, hoping that would explain it.

“‘Here’ as in ‘coming up the walk to take me to breakfast’ or ‘here’ as in ‘lazing around in bed, waiting for me to come back and shag him senseless again’?”

Billy thought crossly that she sounded just a bit more amused than was entirely proper for someone discussing the sexual exploits of a former lover she’d left barely more than a week before.

“Yeah, that one,” he snapped, being deliberately vague. It was no use, though. She could still read him like a book. Lucky for him.

“Well, it’s about time,” she said, sounding smug. “Now, what happened that you two weren’t talking for so long? You never did tell me.”

Billy wondered briefly, desperately, if he were being punished for some horrible crime he’d committed in a past life. “Listen, can we talk about this later?”

“Billy.” Her voice was firm. “I know that tone of voice. What is it that you don’t want to tell me? You know I still care about you, even if we aren’t together anymore. I hate to play the guilt card, but I think you owe me some kind of explanation. You know I want only the best for you.”

Fuck. He knew he didn’t have a choice. He took a deep breath and told her about the night after she’d left. And why.

There was a long pause. Billy held his breath. There couldn’t be any easy way to hear that your ex had slept with another woman the night after you left him – especially since you’d left him so he could be with the man he loved.

As the seconds stretched out, he heard noises from the bedroom. Dom was awake. Swearing under his breath, he made a beeline for the bathroom, seeking privacy. Not that he had anything to hide from Dom, he just couldn’t deal with having to have this conversation with both of them at once. As he was almost to the door, he looked up to see Dom coming out of bedroom. Quickly, he ducked into the bathroom and closed the door, locking it just in case.

Ali finally spoke. “I don’t know what to say, Billy.” She sounded hurt. Billy felt like a complete bastard. Both for his actions the week before, and because he would give nearly anything to be talking to Dom right then – touching him, holding him, reassuring himself that last night was real and not a mistake in Dom’s eyes – instead of having this conversation with Ali. He sighed, and rested his forehead against the wall, wondering what to say.

*****

Dom woke up alone. He sighed. He’d wanted to wake before Billy, plan everything he would say. He wanted to watch Billy, asleep in his arms, for just one more moment, the way he had last night. Just in case it was his last chance. He suppressed the cold fear that threatened to penetrate, hearing Billy-noises coming from the kitchen. It sounded like he was on the phone. Dom took a deep breath. Now came the hard part: talking. Making sure last night wasn’t some drunken mistake on Billy’s part. He started to roll off the bed and winced. _Ouch._ He should have realized he was going to be a bit tender this morning. That was going to take some getting used to. Or rather, he hoped it was going to be something to get used to.

He glanced around Billy’s room, and came up with a pair of sweatpants. His own jeans must still be in the kitchen. He pulled on the sweats, took one more deep breath, and walked out of the bedroom.

The first thing he saw was Billy, who was obviously on his way to the bathroom in a hurry. With the phone. Billy looked up and caught his eye for a split second before darting into the bathroom and closing the door. Locking it. Still, Dom valiantly struggled to subdue his rising apprehension. Not even thinking about it, he pressed his ear to the door. It offered little in the way of insulation.

“Ali…” Billy paused. Dom’s throat tightened. “Listen, I don’t know what to tell you. It was a mistake. I had too much to drink…I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”

No. He was misunderstanding, he had to be. He felt a bubble of hysteria rising in his chest.

Billy was talking again. “I’ll talk to him. But Dom’s a bloke. We know sex doesn’t have to mean something. Sometimes, it’s just fucking. And that’s all it was. He’ll understand.”

The bubble burst, and Dom started running. He wouldn’t have even stopped to grab his clothes, but his keys were in the pocket of his jeans, and he wouldn’t get far without them.

He jumped into his car and had his foot on the gas almost before he had the key in the ignition. It wasn’t until he was sitting at a stoplight, over a mile away, that he let the bitter tears overtake him. He pressed his head to the steering wheel, letting the sobs wrack him, ignoring the horns as the light changed, wondering if he’d ever be able to stop running.


	11. Deserted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy's been deserted

Billy sat at his kitchen table, staring across the night-dark room at nothing. He was sitting, in fact, in the same chair where Dom had sat the night before, while he – no, Billy wasn’t going to think about that. Not going to see Dom’s gorgeous mouth wrapped around his cock while Dom stroked himself so temptingly. Not going to hear Dom whimpering, begging Billy to fuck him harder. Not going to remember the unequaled joy of waking up to find Dom’s arms around him, feeling protected, cherished, even. Because that had been a lie.

He’d put on some boxers, and fixed himself some tea, but otherwise hadn’t done much of anything but sit there. All day. Ever since he’d come out of the bathroom at the sound of the door slamming, and realized Dom had just left. No goodbye. No “Oops, sorry, mate – bit of a mistake there, eh?” Nothing. He’d just run away. Billy’s headache and stomach upset had departed long ago, but the pain in his heart felt much more permanent.

Suddenly a dial tone didn’t seem so bad anymore, seemed infinitely preferable, actually to the memory of a slamming door. A dial tone didn’t have a night of the hottest sex of his life attached. A dial tone didn’t follow waking up in the protective arms of the man he loved more than anything. A dial tone only meant having a drunken confession of love disregarded. A slamming door meant giving his heart, his body and his soul to a man who walked away and didn’t want them.

The sound of the phone ringing startled him from his misery. His heart leapt into his throat, full of wild, improbable hope. He reached for the phone, checked the caller ID. His heart plummeted, deflated. Not Dom. But still a call he had to answer.

“Hello, Margaret.”

“You sound terrible.”

He had to smile just a bit at that. “Get to the point, would you, Mags?”

“Funny. I mean it, Billy, talk to me. Tell your big sis what’s wrong.” The compassion in her voice made the tears rise again. He swallowed hard.

“Ahh, Mags. I don’t know where to start. I broke up with Ali.”

“Yes, I know. She called to tell me.” Her voice was calm, unaccusing.

Billy thought he might like to crawl under the table. “Yeah, um, sorry about that, I should have called.”

Margaret made a dismissive sound. “Now, tell me what happened with Dom.”

“Ali has a big mouth,” Billy replied, getting a bit angry.

“No, she doesn’t. Trust your sister to have a few brain cells to rub together, would you?”

Billy was silent for a moment. He knew Margaret wasn’t going to judge him. It wasn’t in her nature. In a moment of insight, he realized that Ali’s similarity to Margaret in that respect had been part of what had attracted him to her. He sighed. “Dom left. There was a night…” Billy paused awkwardly, then muddled on. “Last night. He stayed. And then this morning, he just ran away. No goodbye. Nothing. Fuck, have I blown the only worthwhile relationship I’ve ever had?”

“I don’t think you did anything wrong, Billy. I wasn’t there, I don’t know – and no details, thanks,” she added wryly. “But it sounds like he just got scared. Why don’t you call him? He’s probably sitting at home in his shorts, moping, same as you.”

That caught Billy’s attention. “What? Margaret –?”

“Oh, weren’t you, then? Billy, I’ve known you all your life, and you’ve spent plenty of time moping in your shorts at the kitchen table. Drove Gran nuts, it did.”

Billy smiled with the memory. “You know me too well.”

“Then you should listen to your wise older sister, and call Dom. What do you have to lose?”

She was right, he realized, after promising to think about it, and saying his goodbyes. He didn’t have anything to lose. If Dom was gone, he’d already lost everything he had worth keeping.

He didn’t know what he would say. He only knew he had to hear Dom’s voice, telling him…Christ, telling him _anything_. It didn’t have to be words of love, although he hoped so fiercely that it would be. But even if Dom broke his heart, he wouldn’t have to wonder why a moment longer. He had to know.

The phone still rested in his hand. He punched the numbers in carefully, and listened to the ringing, praying that Dom would answer.


	12. Hiding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dom's hiding from words he can't bear to hear

The phone was ringing. It took a few rings before he even heard it. He’d fallen asleep in front of the TV, which wasn’t turned on. He could feel the dried tear tracks on his face, and his sinuses ached, the way they always did when he’d been crying. He fumbled for the phone, checked the caller ID. Billy.

_I’ll talk to him…It was a mistake…Sometimes it’s just fucking…He’ll understand._

He set the phone back down.

But Billy’s voice haunted him anyway. Another phone call. _Love ye…Wan’ ye…Wanna fuck ye…_

Maybe part of it had been true, at least. Because Billy hadn’t seemed indifferent to him. Not indifferent at all…

Images poured over him, invading his sight, his mind, his sanity. Billy kneeling in front of him, sucking his cock and staring up at him with lust-dark eyes. Billy pressing into him, with need in his eyes and gentleness in his touch. Billy kissing him tenderly, even as he set Dom on fire from within. Billy coming inside him, over him, filling him physically and emotionally. Billy asleep in his arms, looking for all the world as if that was where he belonged.

_Sometimes it’s just fucking…_

The tears had started again, but the phone had stopped ringing. Dom checked through the blur; Billy hadn’t left a message. He had to give Billy that: at least he wasn’t going to break Dom’s heart via voicemail. Not that Billy knew how Dom felt. Or would know, if he had any say.

A couple of hours later, the phone rang again. And in the morning. Every hour. The next day. The next.

Dom refused to look at his phone. He stopped carrying it with him. If he ignored it, maybe it would go away. Maybe it wouldn’t insist on trying to give him the bad news he desperately didn’t want to hear.

_I’ll talk to him…he’ll understand…_

He wondered how long he could go on like this. How long he could go without giving in, needing to hear Billy’s voice. He wondered if everything could ever be okay between them again. He wondered what the hell he was going to do if it couldn’t. Life without Billy was unimaginable. Would it ever be like it used to be between them? Would he be able to survive it if it was?

And then the ringing stopped. Billy had given up on him. Everyone else must have, too, because the phone stayed silent for days. Not that he wanted to talk to anyone. Perversely, Dom missed the calls almost as soon as he realized that Billy had stopped. So when the phone rang again, late on a Sunday morning a week later, he dove for it.

“Hello?” He cursed the eagerness in his voice.

“Hey mate, how’s it going?” Orlando.

Dom tried to sound upbeat. “Orli! How are you, man?”

“Dom, you sound like shit.” So much for being an actor.

“Yeah, well, it’s Sunday morning, what do you expect?”

“You know what day it is? Dom, it’s summer. Since when do you keep track of the days in summer?” Now Orli _really_ sounded concerned.

_Since I’ve been counting the days – hell, the minutes – since I saw Billy…_

“Give me a little credit,” he mumbled lamely.

“You obviously need to get out. I just got into town, and Lighe and I are planning on hitting a few pubs tonight, you should come.”

“Nah, I –”

“No excuses, mate. We’ll be round at 8 to pick you up.”

“But –” Dom was talking to a dial tone. He almost smiled. Wasn’t that just like Orlando?

Maybe his friend was right, though. Maybe he did need to get out. Have a few drinks, chat up a few lovelies. The idea appealed to him about as much having major surgery without anaesthetic, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t better than listening for the ring of a phone he was too scared to answer.

 

*****

 

“Orli…c’mere,” Dom slurred drunkenly.

Normally Dom’s match in drinking, Orlando simply raised an eyebrow at his intoxicated mate. Dom was obviously getting so determinedly pissed for a reason.

“C’mon, Orli, we’re friens, righ’?”

“Yeah, man, course we are,” Orli agreed readily, still curious.

“An’ you know I love ya, righ’?”

“Sure, mate, love ya, too, you know that.”

“Then ya gotta c’mere and kiss me.”

Orlando was sure that made sense to Dom. He was a little less convinced of any sense it should make to him. “Why do you want me to kiss you, Dom? I mean, apart from the obvious reasons,” he smirked, pretending to preen.

“Cuz…cuz…if you kiss me…an’ mebbe fuck me…then I won’ have to be so sad ’bout Billy anymore,” Dom managed, with a smile that was somehow simultaneously sad, hopeful, and completely obliterated with drink.

“Um…I don’t think so, mate,” Orlando was dying to ask what the hell Dom was on about, and what the hell was up with Billy, but it somehow didn’t seem the time.

Dom looked disappointed, but turned to Elijah, who was looking distinctly disturbed, and backing away from him quickly.

“Lighe…hey, where ya goin?”

“Uh…check the meter…double-parked…be right back –” Elijah stuttered over his shoulder, making for the door.

“Ya didn’ drive, ya daft cunt,” Dom yelled after him, a little too loudly. He looked indignant as he turned back to Orli, who was obviously smothering a laugh. “Wha’ th’ fuck’s up wi’ him?”

“You’re scaring him, man.” Orli was laughing openly now. Dom didn’t think there was anything funny about the situation, however.

“S’not fair,” he mumbled into his beer. “Nobody loves me. ’Specially not Billy.”

“Billy doesn’t love you?” Orli was nothing if not skeptical. He guessed they weren’t talking about a “mates” kind of love anymore, but everyone other than Billy and Dom knew how Billy and Dom felt about each other.

“No. He said he did, bu’ then he said it was a mistake,” Dom elaborated, as if that explained everything.

“Er…what was a mistake?” Orli was nearly beside himself with curiosity now.

“Shaggin’ me.”

Orli coughed, and beer spilled out his nose.

“S’not fair,” Dom repeated.

“What’s not?” Orli managed.

“S’not his arse tha’ hurts.”

Beer sure did sting the nasal passages. “Dom,” Orli choked. “There are things I don’t need to know.”

Dom didn’t appear to be paying attention, however.

“S’not his heart, either.” His voice was very quiet, and Orlando noticed that there was a blur of tears in his eyes.

He reached out and took his mate’s hand, squeezing it. Dom just stared into his beer, as the tears fell.


	13. All of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dom comes to a decision

Dom was only a little drunk now. Just enough to lower his inhibitions, not enough to make him sloppy. Not enough to give him an excuse. He was sober enough to know better.

He took his mobile out of his pocket and set it on the bed next to him, unsure whether he was trying to talk himself out of this, or into it.

He’d spent the night crying his eyes out on Orlando’s shoulder, confessing everything to his old mate – the night he’d seen Billy with the mystery woman, the way he hadn’t been able to get Billy off his mind, the night they’d spent together…the way he’d fallen in love with his best mate, not overnight but over years, without realizing it. Orli had listened like a true friend, and given him the best news he’d heard in days: Billy and Ali weren’t back together. And Orli would know; he always knew all the gossip.

Dom wanted to not be selfishly glad, but he was. He wished he could be the kind of mate to want only the best for Billy. But when he’d crossed the line from mate to….whatever he was now, he’d left that ability behind. He still wanted the best for Billy. He just wanted to _be_ the best for Billy. He told this to Orli in a quiet voice, knowing it would remain between the two of them. Orli was the best like that. They’d sat together in silence then, until Elijah returned. The three had stopped at pub after pub, but at the end of the night, Dom had come home far too sober.

He stared at his mobile. The need to tell Billy how he felt warred with the need to never let him find out. And both were at odds with the need that coursed through him as memories of that night overwhelmed his drink-weakened defenses.

Billy’s mouth on his own, so sweet, so fierce and hot, making him feel like he’d never kissed a man or woman before. Not like that. Like he was falling headlong and only Billy could catch him. Billy’s hands on him, finding all his secret, sensitive places, making him cry out and writhe in his best mate’s arms. Billy’s lips and tongue licking him, stroking him, sucking him in, making him beg for more. Billy’s cock filling him, stroking him deep inside, making him come, crying out Billy’s name with need and love and ecstasy.

Fuck, but he was hard. He could feel his heartbeat in the pulse of his naked cock against his fly. No jeans tonight, but rather soft cotton stroking him with each beat.

_I’m gonna fuck ye, Dommeh. Tha’s what ye want, innit?”_

Unable to help himself, Dom moaned his assent into the stillness of his room.

His hand itched to crawl into his pants, but he forced himself to remain still. His achingly full erection was agony, but it almost distracted him from the empty ache in his chest.

Anger swept through him, hot and sudden. How could Billy do this to him? If nothing else, they were best mates. How could he fuck Dom with such heartbreaking gentleness at night, and tell his ex-girlfriend it was nothing in the morning? Yes, sometimes sex was “just” fucking. But not between him and Billy. Why couldn’t Billy see that? Why couldn’t Billy see Dom hadn’t just surrendered his body, but his heart, his soul, everything he had to give? Why did Billy get to have all of him, while all Dom got were memories, tears, and a hard-on?

He reached for the phone. He couldn’t have Billy’s heart. Why, he didn’t know. Maybe he wasn’t good enough, or maybe Billy just couldn’t see past the fact that Dom was a bloke and not the wife and mother of his hearth-and-home dreams. But there was a part of Billy that he could have if he was willing to take it. And right now, Dom was going to take everything he could get. He dialed Billy’s number, and held his breath.


	14. Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dom takes what he can get

Billy was dreaming about Dom. In the dream, Dom was coming toward him, pushing up against him, kissing him hard and fast, then softly, with infinite tenderness. Dom was thrusting his hips into Billy’s, moaning and pleading. But when Billy tried to put his arms around Dom, the other man just drifted away like smoke.

Billy caught sight of him again, further away, still wispy, and, incongruously, ringing.

Ringing?

Fuck, the phone. Billy opened his eyes and peered at the alarm clock. 4 am. Then he looked at the phone. No way it was some random emergency. He couldn’t say how he knew, just that he knew. No, this was Dom. Billy could feel it.

He picked up on the last ring, just before it would have gone to voicemail. He didn’t bother to say hello.

“Dom,” he breathed.

“Billy.” Was it his imagination, or did Dom sound just a little nervous? It was hard to say. Lately he wondered if he even knew Dom anymore.

They sat there in silence for a moment, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. Rather, it was strangely comforting, almost a relief to be back in each other’s space, even over a telephone line, after so long apart. The moment felt right. Like being BillyandDom again, just for a moment.

Finally, Billy reluctantly broke the peaceful silence. There was so much he needed to hear, to say. “Listen, Dom –”

“No.” Dom’s voice was quiet, but there was a dangerous edge to it. Billy shivered a little.

“What?”

“No,” Dom repeated. He sounded angry. “I’m not going to listen. I know what you have to say and I don’t want to hear it. I’m not interested. So just keep your mouth shut, Boyd. I didn’t call so you could talk. I called so you could listen.”

“But –”

“I swear, Billy, unless you want me to hang up this phone, you’ll shut it _right now_.”

Billy probably should have been thinking that hanging up the phone was a good idea. He was due on set in just under four hours, after all. Or maybe he should have been thinking of a way to make his friend listen, to demand to know what the hell Dom was thinking when he left him that morning, why he would hold Billy so gently, and then leave him so ruthlessly. But what Billy’s sleep-laden brain was actually thinking was centered solely around keeping Dom on the phone…and the alarming and very distracting way his cock was responding to his best mate’s forceful tone. Billy swallowed, and shifted his hips slightly, just to feel the thin cotton of his boxers brush caressingly against his stiff, swollen flesh. He wanted to moan out loud, but registered at the last possible second _what_ Dom had actually said.

So – just barely – Billy didn’t make a sound.

Dom smiled, hard and tight. Billy could and would listen, then. Good. Because he had plenty to say – and plenty to wring from Billy, although he wasn’t about to let his friend know that just yet. But first he needed Billy to be as hard as he was right then, hard and hot and wanting just the way Dom was from reliving his memories. So he decided that was a good place to start.

“I’ve been thinking. D’ye know what I’ve been thinking about, Bills?” The question was casual. Dom’s voice was predatory.

“I’ve been thinking,” he continued after a moment, “about the night I saw you fuck that woman senseless. The way I watched you moan and thrash and come so hard. And call my name.” There was a shudder in his voice at the very end of that bit, he couldn’t control it.

Billy didn’t even have time to react before he heard something else: the soft, unmistakable whisper of a zipper being lowered. He couldn’t help himself. He moaned and slipped his hand into his boxers, cupping his full erection.

“Billy.” Dom’s voice was meant to be reprimanding, but it came out as a moan, so full of need that Billy had to stroke himself just once, swift and firm and thorough, base to tip and back. But he didn’t utter a word.

Dom got himself back under control before continuing. “You made me so hard, Billy. I wanted you so bad, and when you came, I thought I was going to explode. I went home and stroked myself hard and fast until I came, crying out your name, and it was so hot, so fucking hot, Billy.” It was no use, his voice was shaking with need, with all the urgency pulsing through him as he got caught up in the memory. “You made me come so hard, Billy, just thinking about you, wanting you so bad, but my fantasy was nothing compared to the reality you showed me. It couldn’t come close to the way your hands felt all over me. Or your mouth…fuck, Billy do you know how many times I’ve dreamt about your beautiful fucking mouth?”

Billy gave in by the second time Dom said his name in that hot, wanting voice that made the hair on the back of Billy’s neck stand on end, even as it made him buck his hips and fist his cock to the rhythm of Dom’s words. He had no defenses against the pictures Dom was painting, and especially none against the need, so hot and demanding, in Dom’s voice as he continued.

“In my dreams, your mouth is so hot and wet around me, just like it was that night, and you’re licking me, sucking me, deepthroating me, and I’m fucking your mouth, Billy and it feels so fucking incredible I never wanna stop. And you’re looking at me with those eyes of yours, looking right at me while you suck my cock, and I can’t help myself, I’m coming so hard into that beautiful mouth, and you’re taking it all, and I’m coming for so long that all you can taste now is me.”

Billy moaned, low, uncontrollable. What Dom described had been high on Billy’s list of fantasies, too, and he’d been dying to taste Dom for as long as he could remember, he thought.

“You’re touching yourself, aren’t you, Billy?” Dom’s voice was hoarse with the same hot need that was making Billy thrust into his own palm and bite back his own moans.

Billy whimpered his assent.

“Good. I want you to touch yourself and think about me.” Dom’s voice was husky, with an almost imperceptible hint of desperation despite his struggle to conceal his hunger.

It was the hunger shining through that forced Billy to the edge of his self-control. His hand was moving of its own volition now, stroking, squeezing, fisting his cock, up and down until he was gasping quietly, hoping Dom wouldn’t hear…or that he _would_ hear, but not hang up.

“What are you thinking about, Billy?” Dom was back in control again, although Billy swore he could hear the glide of skin on skin. “Are you thinking about my hands on your cock? Or my lips? Are you imagining me sucking you off? Or are you thinking about fucking me, Billy? Are you thinking how good I’ll taste when I come for you?”

“ _Please_ ,” Billy whispered, begged, forgetting about Dom’s rules, not caring anymore. He needed to hear that hunger, to know that he wasn’t out on this limb of needing and wanting and aching all by himself. And he needed release.

“Please what?” Dom demanded, his voice mocking but husky. “You’re not ready to come for me yet, are you?”

A whimper was his only reply.

“Stop.” The command was low, implacable, and Billy’s hand froze. “I’m not ready for you to come,” Dom continued roughly. “There’s something you need to do for me first. Because I want to taste you.”

A strangled moan was the only sound Billy could make. He was writhing on his bed, his hand frantic on his cock once again.

“I said _stop_ ,” Dom growled harshly. Billy obeyed, even as the head of his cock swelled hotly, just from the sound of Dom’s voice. He was panting with exertion and lust, and the sound was music to Dom’s ears.

“Now,” Dom ordered, “I want you to stroke two fingertips over the head of your cock, Billy. Right over the slit. Are you doing it, Billy? Are your fingers wet?”

“ _Yes_ ,” was all Billy could whisper.

“Good.” Dom forced his own hands to remain perfectly still. This game had brought him to the edge far too quickly, and he was going to lose if he didn’t watch out. Even so, he had to swallow once before giving Billy his next order. “Billy…put your fingers in your mouth.” His voice nearly cracked with need.

Billy sobbed once in response. His hand was shaking as he lifted it to his lips.

“Do it, Billy.” Dom’s voice was a livewire of wanting and needing, and it was sending electricity straight through Billy to his cock, even as he did as he was told. “Taste yourself, Billy. Tell me how good it tastes. Suck your fingers, like it was my cock in your sweet little mouth.”

Billy was moaning uncontrollably, thrusting his fingers into his mouth and lickingsuckingtonguing them, tasting his own need for Dom all over them.

“God, you sound so fucking hot.” Dom’s voice was ragged. “Are you wondering if I’m stroking myself? Because I am. I’m fucking my own hand, and thinking about you, wishing it was your hand on my cock, or your mouth or… _fuck_ ” His voice broke on the last word. Billy could hear Dom stroking himself hard and fast, moaning and not bothering to hide it.

Billy was thrusting into his own palm, on the very edge of coming when Dom spoke again, his voice tearing. “One last thing, Billy.” Dom was obviously fighting for control, against both orgasm and...tears? “When you’re in bed with Ali, or that woman, or whoever you’re fucking that you _think_ you want more than me, I want you to think of me, stroking myself just for you. I want you to think about that and taste how much you want me right now. I want you to remember me shattering around you, coming with your name on my lips, with your cock deep inside me. Just the way I’ve remembered you. Just the way I come every night.” The last line was only a whisper. The pain in Dom’s voice took Billy by surprise, piercing his heart, even as Dom’s words sent him tumbling over the edge of his orgasm. Billy came, shuddering hard into his palm and crying Dom’s name on a sob. By the time he stopped shaking, Dom was gone, and his panting breaths were answered only by a dial tone.


	15. 3 phone calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hobbit loyalty overcomes all obstacles. For example, honesty.

“He’s in bad shape, man.”

“What do you mean, Doodle?”

“I mean everything Orli told me he said last night, and then some. When I went to pick him up for breakfast and surfing after I talked to you this morning, something had happened. He wouldn’t say what, but he was curled up in a little ball on his bed, crying. It was really sad. I’m really worried about him. He didn’t even want to surf, and I practically had to force him to eat. That’s not like Dom.”

“Maybe he was hungover.”

“No, he wasn’t. He was upset. I know the difference. And I know that tone of voice, Sean. What do you know that you’re not telling me?”

“I’m worried that Orli’s going to spread this one-sided story around and the rest of the Fellowship’ll be mad at Billy, when we don’t know the whole story yet. You know how Orli is, can’t keep a secret to save his life.”

“First, Orli never remembers a damn thing anyone tells him when he’s drinking. It was lucky Dom got up to go piss when he did. Orli was about to burst with everything Dom had told him. But then he didn’t remember a word of it by the time we dropped Dom off for the night. So no problem there. Second, you know something, I can tell. Spill it, Sean.”

“Margaret called me about a week ago. Then Ali called this morning, right after I got off the phone with you. Billy’s been in really bad shape. Crying. Confused. He thinks Dom hates him. And he’s finally realized he’s in love with him.”

“What, you weren’t going to tell me?”

“You get a little emotional sometimes, Doodle. You don’t always think straight.”

“And Sean knows best, huh?”

“Don’t be angry, Lighe. I’m going to need your help if we’re going to work this out.”

“‘We’?”

“Don’t we always?”

“Good point.” Pause. “So what do you want me to do?”

 

*****

“You gotta come, Dom. It’ll be Orli’s last night here for who knows how long, with Pirates 2 and that Aussie flick he’s doing. He’s one of your best mates, dude. You gotta show.”

“Just say ‘friends’, Lighe. You’re a Yank. Get over it.”

“Dom?”

“Sorry, mate. Just not in a great mood. Will, ah, will Billy be there?”

“No, sorry, man. He’s got some weird location shoot to do that night, so he can’t make it. Everyone’s totally bummed. Didn’t he mention it?”

“He must’ve forgotten. He was kinda in a hurry last time we talked.”

“Yeah, it’s too bad. But you gotta come anyway, man. Come on.”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll be there. Who all’s coming?”

“You, me, Orli –“

“Figured that, thanks, Doodle.”

“You gonna lemme finish, wanker?”

“Yank.”

“Shut it, Dom.”

“Shut _up_ , Elijah.”

“Do you wanna know or what, you obnoxious cunt?”

“Yeah, fine, who else?”

“Just us, and Sean, of course, and Chris and the girls will probably be around.”

“Just a Hobbit and elf party, then? Except plus family. And minus a Hobbit.”

“Yeah – alright there, Sblomie?”

“Fine, mate. Just fine.”

“OK. You sounded…anyway, they’re thinking 8 for dinner, so be there at 7. Sean says we can crash there if we have to. Orli’s flight isn’t until noon, so if we wanna surf early, we can.”

“You gonna pick me up?”

“You have a car, Sblomie.”

“Were you going somewhere with this…?”

“Fine. 6:30, then.”

“You’re the best, Doodle.”

“Yeah. No shit.”

*****

“It’s been great to hear from you, Sean, but…”

“Why am I really calling?”

“Well…yeah. I mean, you know I always love to talk to you, but it seems like something’s on your mind.”

“You always could read me, Billy. OK, well…I got a phone call –”

“Let me guess: Ali.”

“You don’t sound surprised.”

“I’m not. She called Margaret, too. Between that pair, I’ve been mothered to death.”

“Actually, Margaret called me, too…but it’s only because they care, Billy, you know that. And so do I, so better make it a trio of mothers.”

“Was it a tough labor, then, Seanie?”

“Cute, Bill. But you’re avoiding the topic.”

“What do you want to know, Sean? If he’s good in bed? If he broke my heart? Because the answer to both questions is ‘yes’.”

“Billy…”

“I’m sorry, mate. I know you’re just trying to help. But…I don’t know if I can talk about it. It’s weird, because we were all mates once, and now…”

“We’re not mates anymore?”

“You and me and Lighe? Of course. Me and Dom…I don’t know, Sean. But it’s not really comfortable to talk about having a relationship with one of the four of us to another of the four of us, you know?”

“I can understand that. Maybe you can think of it a different way. Don’t think about “the relationship”. Just tell me how it’s going with BillyandDom.”

“I don’t know if I can. I don’t know if there’s a BillyandDom to talk about anymore.”

“And how does that feel?”

“Jesus, Sean, are you a shrink now or what? It hurts like fuckall, what do you think?”

“Billy…I don’t know how to do this, either, man. You know you and Dom are like brothers to me, and I always thought when you finally figured it out…well, it wouldn’t be like this.”

“Yeah, sorry, me neither…wait, ‘when we finally figured it out’? Not you, too.”

“‘Not me too’ what?”

“When Ali left me she told me ‘everyone sees it but you’ about me and Dom. Although apparently there was nothing for Dom to see, really. So ‘everyone’ must need their vision checked, I guess.”

“Billy, I think you’re jumping to conclusions. Have you even talked to Dom?”

Silence.

“Billy?”

“Sorry, I’m here. Yeah, you could say we talked.”

“I take it didn’t go well?”

“This is one of those things I really don’t want to talk about, Sean. But no, it was just…confusing. He told me he wasn’t interested, though.”

“I don’t know what to say, Billy. I just have a hard time believing he meant that.”

“He sounded pretty damn certain at the time.”

“…You alright, Bill?”

“Yeah, just…it’s hard, you know? It hurts so fucking much. I’ve never felt anything like this. Never lost anyone I needed this much. Not since Mags and I were kids, anyway, when our parents passed on. And even then, I had her and Gran to share the pain with. Now…listen, you’re the brother I never had, Sean, but I don’t think anybody could help right now. This pain is only mine.”

“Ah, shit, Billy, I wish I knew what to say. Whatever Dom did, I know he didn’t mean to. He’s your best friend, and that’s got to count for something.”

“Don’t go all Samwise on me, Sean. The best friend I thought I had would never have left me like he did. Maybe I never knew Dom. Maybe I’m in love with someone who never existed.”

“Stop it, Billy. I know you feel like shit, but this isn’t helping. Talk to Dom, make him listen –”

“It doesn’t work that way, Sean. He won’t talk and he sure as hell won’t listen. He won’t pick up the phone when I call, and he’ll hang up when I try to speak if he calls me. He just doesn’t care.”

“Then why is he calling?”

“I don’t know. That’s where it gets confusing. I mean…how the fuck do I say this? He does seem to have some sort of interest, but it’s not affection, not love. Not even the kind I thought we had as BillyandDom. And he doesn’t want to hear how I feel, he’s made that clear.”

“I don’t know what to say, Bill. Maybe you just both need some space.”

“I don’t think that’s going to solve this, Sean.”

“I know, but…listen, you know Orli’s in town, right?”

“Um, yeah, but what does that have to do with Dom?”

“Nothing, except that he wanted to spend time with you both, but he’s only been able to get ahold of Dom. Anyway, he’s going to be flying back out this weekend, and we don’t know when he’ll be back, so we were hoping we could have a get-together while both you guys were still here.”

“Sean, I just don’t know if I’m ready –”

“It’s OK, Dom won’t be there. Orli’s already seen him, and besides, Elijah says he might have an audition in New York that weekend. So what do you say?”

“An audition?”

“Yeah, in New York, but about the party…?”

“Fuck, Sean, how did it get to be this way? How did we get so much distance between us already, that I didn’t even know about such an important thing in his life? He’s my best mate…”

“Shh, Billy, it’s OK, man. Don’t cry. It’ll work out, I know it will.”

“I wish I could believe that.”

“So do I, Billy, so do I. Why don’t you come over and have dinner with us – you, me, Doodle, and Orli. Chris and the girls will be there, too. It’ll be just us, the people you need most right now.”

“Yeah. I guess I do. And it can’t be worse than the way I feel right now.”

“I’m sorry, Billy.”

“I know…hey, Sean?”

“Yeah, man?”

“Thanks. For being a good friend. For being the kind of friend I know I can trust.”

“Anytime, Bill. Anytime.”


	16. Intersections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dom and Billy look behind them

Dom stared at his wardrobe. T-shirts, suit jackets, ties, scarves, trousers and jeans. Each one had memories attached – premieres and awards shows and days surfing or playing endless video games and nights lazing in front of a movie with a beer or out on the town with his best mates. For the first time, Dom looked and saw them for what they really were: souvenirs of a million moments with Billy at his side. Like Viggo’s mirrorfull of snapshots, they were a collected history of moments he never wanted to forget. Those moments seemed to fragment now, disintegrate before his eyes, and he wished he could reach out and grab them. They were the most valuable thing he had left to him, and he doubted now more than ever that there would be any more.

There, in the corner – the wetsuit he’d worn the very first time they went surfing. It was ripped and worn now, but he’d never thought of throwing it away. The memory it brought back now might be one reason why.

 

_The New Zealand day is sunny – a little windy maybe, but otherwise perfect – and the salty smell of the ocean bites at their noses, another sense vividly awakened in the moment. Dom runs from the shore to where Billy is lying in the sand, and flops down next to him, grinning. Dom is alive with pleasure, in love with surfing, with the ocean, and with the world, and Billy is with him. Because where else would he be?_

_Dom is jabbering madly about surfing, about the ocean, and Billy is listening and smiling and understanding, as only Billy ever does._

_“It’s incredible, Billy, like nothing else in the world. It’s huge and overwhelming and scary, but it’s amazing and beautiful, too –”_

_“A bit like flying, eh Dommeh?”_

_“Exactly, mate, exactly! That’s just it, and you can’t change it or escape it, you can only give in and let it carry you higher than you’ve ever dreamed –”_

_“Or fall and get hurt or even drown if you’re not careful –”_

_“Right, it’s dangerous, too, but it’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt, and I never want to give it up, Billy – never.”_

_“Me, too, Dommeh. Just exactly like that.”_

_And for a moment, in the sparkle of Billy’s eyes, Dom wonders if somehow they’re not talking about surfing anymore. But then the moment’s passed, and Dom’s grabbing his mate’s hand, and pulling him up, laughing, to collect their boards and have another go._

 

Dom smiled at the memory, because his only other option was crying, and he’d done far more than enough of that lately.

The clock in the hall chimed softly, and Dom dragged himself back to the present. He only had a half an hour before Elijah would be arriving to pick him up. Taking a deep breath, he waded into the memories to see what he could come up with for a lonely night among friends.

 

*****

Billy sat in his driveway, his key in the ignition, and told himself that everything was going to be fine. He was going to see his friends, talk and joke and reminisce and not act like the broken-hearted old sot that he was. He wasn’t going to let himself feel out of place, as if the younger men had all liked him well enough as part of the infamous BillyandDom, but would find him boring as plain old Bill, far too boring and sad without his best mate, his partner in crime, his other half. It was exactly the way he so often felt when he looked in the mirror and saw that he looked older now that Dom was gone, and the lines by his eyes and mouth looked like wrinkles, instead of legacies of laughter. How had this happened so quickly? He hadn’t felt so old and empty before Dom. He’d felt lonely for his mate when he was in Scotland – even more than he’d expected to, in fact – but not this aching emptiness and depression, this feeling that he’d held life in his hands once, and let it slip away.

He laid his head back on the headrest and inhaled, smelling rental car smell. So different from the third-hand car he’d had in New Zealand, with its broken seatbelt and smell of seawater-rotted upholstery and foam, stained with beer and those smoothies they’d liked so much. And yet, the car was very similar in some way that he hadn’t recognized until he’d shown it to Dom and Ali, and Dom had immediately pronounced it identical. And Ali had just looked at him. He hadn’t known why then, although maybe he should have. Maybe the car should have been a sign, with all the memories attached to it.

 

_They’re parked by their favorite beach, with the windows down and the night air rolling in off the water. It’s too dark for surfing, but neither of them wants to go home. It’s been a long day of shooting, but they know if they drive back to Dom’s, they’ll only sit in front of his flat for hours talking until Billy agrees to crash on his mate’s lumpy couch. The beach is a far nicer place to sit and unwind, with the sound of the tide and the call of nightbirds lending background to the soundtrack of their conversation._

_“What’s that one?”_

_“Where?”_

_Dom points, leans in, lays his head on Billy’s shoulder to see from his point of view._

_“Gemini, isn’t?”_

_“Don’t think you can see Gemini in the summer, Bills.”_

_“Didn’t really think it was, anyway.” He says it just to see Dom grin, which he does, and Billy can just see it from the corner of his eye. Dom’s head still rests on Billy’s shoulder, but Billy doesn’t mind._

_“Nutter.”_

_“Wanker.”_

_“S’beside the point.” Now it’s Billy’s turn to smile._

_“Isn’t Gemini the one with the two blokes – brothers, mebbe? Castor and Poncer?”_

_“Pollux, Billy. Castor and Pollux.” He can feel Dom’s shoulders shake with laughter._

_“Right, and they’re always together. Except…wait, doesn’t one shoot the other one? With an arrow or some such?”_

_“Nah, that’s Balder and…and…the other one. His brother. Norwegian blokes, not Greek. Castor and Pollux were Greek.”_

_“Maybe that’s why they’re always together. You know what they say about Greek men. Especially back then.”_

_“That they came from Greece?”_

_“That they’re…y’know. Poofters. Fairies.”_

_“_ Brothers _, Billy.”_

_“Oh. Right. Forgot about that. Wouldn’t be quite right, would it?”_

_“No, Billy, it really wouldn’t.” Dom’s laughing at him again._

_They sit there for a long moment, drinking in the night in silence. Moments like these are the reason they never say goodnight anymore, although they don’t stop to consider this._

_“What do you think it’s like?”_

_“What do I think_ what’s _like, Bills?” Billy notices that Dom has gone very still, and also that his hair smells like shampoo and the best parts of the ocean, and not at all like wig and sweat, as it should do at this point._

_“Being with someone all the time, stuck up in the sky forever with them.” Dom shifts slightly, and Billy wonders what Dom thought he meant._

_“Or even one person all the time, right here on earth.” Dom’s always finishing Billy’s thoughts._

_“Exactly.”_

_“Dunno, mate. Pretty scary proposition if you ask me.”_

_“True. Might not be so bad if you were mates, though.”_

_“Depends on the mate. Sean, for example. Love him like a brother, but I’d go mad of sheer boredom the first day.”_

_“Night.”_

_“Right, night. Don’t see many stars in the day.”_

_“Just one.”_

_“Do you mind?”_

_“Not at all, carry on.”_

_“Right. So, Sean, no. Elijah? Hate to say it, but I’d have to kill the little bugger by midnight.”_

_“Perfectly understandable.”_

_“I thought so.”_

_“What about me?”_

_“You? Well, let’s see. We’d probably drive each other quite mad in a very short time, I’m afraid.”_

_“It’s a short drive, though.”_

_“That it is. More like a walk, in fact.”_

_“A walk? I’d say a drunken crawl, Dommeh.”_

_“A drunken crawl it is, then, mate.” He can feel Dom smile into his shoulder._

_“Might not be so bad then, eh? Once we were completely mad, that is?”_

_“It might not at that, Bills. It just might suit.”_

_Billy looks down at Dom, and all he sees are blue-grey eyes watching him, and lips close enough to kiss. It’s an odd thing to think, and he turns away with a slight twitch of his neck. A moment later, the comforting warmth and weight of Dom’s head lifts from its rest, and Billy feels a little colder, despite the warm night._

 

There were tears slipping down Billy’s face as he bowed his head and let the memory fade back into the night. He didn’t know which was sadder, all those missed opportunities, or the fact that he might never have another one.

As he searched his glove compartment for tissues, another memory slipped in to fill the void. The last time, literally, that he saw Dom. Looking up into his mate’s beautiful, sleeping face, feeling strong arms wrapped around him. Feeling protected, cherished. Loved. The tears flowed freely, tracing wet tracks of pain down his face.

In self-defense, his mind slid back in time a few hours, back in the memory to the night that led to the best wake-up of his life. Saw Dom, felt him, heard his voice promising wicked things, begging for more. He let his head fall back against the headrest again, and felt the bittersweet hunger coursing through his veins.

 

 

Dom had decided on black jeans and a pullover that matched his eyes. He was throwing them on the bed when something in the corner caught his eye. Billy’s sweatpants. If he’d thought the memory at the beach had affected him, it hadn’t prepared him for the wave of emotion and lust that hit him when he saw the sweats. Pain, first, but then hot, sweet desire as he drifted back in time to the moment he first kissed his best mate.

Billy’s nearly naked body was burning him up as he pressed his mate back into the refrigerator door. But it was Billy’s tongue that set fire to him, pushing between his lips and stroking his own tongue so hotly. That wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He, Dom, was the aggressor. When Billy had pushed him backward into the chair and pulled his shirt off, Dom had thought he was going to burst. Even now, the memory had him palming his rapidly growing erection, and licking his lips in anticipation of reliving the feel of Billy’s thick, silky cock pushing urgently between his lips.

 

Billy was barely aware of his surroundings as he remembered the feel of Dom’s mouth, his tongue stroking roughly, soothingly, silkily over Billy’s hard cock. Even as he remembered, his body responded, and after a moment of adjustment, he realized that he needed to go inside. His hard-on was pressing uncomfortably into the steering wheel, and he was in no shape to drive just yet. He exited the car less than gracefully, and ran to the door, slipping inside and unzipping in a whispered rush. His hand slipped inside the fly, and he was wanking himself and remembering Dom sucking him in deeply, bobbing up and down quickly, while stroking himself with such intense need. He remembered the hotwet slick of Dom’s tongue and lips, the heated blue of his eyes, wild on Billy’s own, the sight of Dom begging silently for Billy to let him finish sucking him off with that beautiful, clever mouth of his, his lips parted, swollen, red, his eyes hooded and dazed as they follow Billy’s cock hungrily. His knees felt weak, and he leaned back against the door as he remembered that night.

 

Dom gave in to temptation and laid down on the bed, stroking and arching into his palm as he relived the memory of Billy kneeling before him, promising to suck him, to fuck him. His breath sighed out at the feel of his own hand on his cock, even as he remembered the gasping pleasure of pushing between Billy’s beautiful lips, the feel of that wicked tongue teasing him, tasting him, driving him to thrust deeper into Billy’s perfect, hot little mouth, to whimper mindlessly as Billy slipped a finger between his cheeks, teased his sensitive opening and then slid inside, stroking rhythmically, making Dom’s muscles clench and shiver, and his orgasm build inside him. Even as he remembered, he felt the familiar sensations in the pit of his stomach, the balls of his feet.

Billy remembered the look in Dom’s eyes as he pushed into his best mate, feeling the muscle give way. The desire. The need. The love. He swallowed back tears, knowing that one had been untrue. But his memories didn’t stop. The feeling of Dom’s body surrendering, yet tight against his own was overwhelming even in memory. The cursing, pleading, promising obscene things. The way he’d stroked himself as Billy watched. Fuck. Billy shuddered and thrust hard against his hand, wishing he could feel the heat of Dom’s hand, mouth, body just one more time, wrapped around him, pulsing and hot with need.

Billy whimpered.

Dom moaned.

The memories of their phone call came rushing back, then. The begging, the promises, the demands. The sounds of flesh on flesh. The feeling of urgent hands. The taste of _need_.

Dom’s hand was flying up and down his cock now, the head swelling, begging for relief, as he relived the sound of Billy’s moans, whimpers, incoherent pleas

Billy was fucking his hand for all it was worth, imagining Dom’s mouth around him, dying to come just once into it, watch Dom swallow him whole and suck him dry.

Dom cried out in need.

Billy begged, his voice rasping.

They came in a shuddering rush of curses and pleas and names they needed to call.

By the time each arrived at the party, they would be in different places of misery again, but for a moment, miles apart, they intersected in need and desire and an urgency that went beyond physical, and was more powerful than either of them.


	17. Inevitable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dom and Billy were inevitable; so, too, is their reunion

“You told me you weren’t inviting him,” Billy growled accusingly. They were standing in the kitchen at Sean’s house.

“Yeah, well…I didn’t. Lighe let it slip. I’m sorry man, I shoulda reminded him not to tell Dom,” Sean apologized.

“I’m sorry, Billy. Dude, you know I can’t keep a secret. I didn’t mean to say anything. But he was so sad about the audition falling through, and I felt so bad…” Elijah wasn’t an actor for nothing. He concealed his surprise artfully, and managed a shamefaced look, wondering if a hint of tears would be overdoing it. Sean was going to owe him a huge favor for this one.

Billy sighed. Elijah looked really upset. Tears in his big blue eyes and everything. Poor kid. Wasn’t his fault he had a big mouth. “It’s OK, Doodle. I can get through this.”

“Why don’t you go say hi to Chris and the girls,” Sean suggested kindly. “I think Dom just stepped out for a smoke, and Allie’s been asking about you.”

Billy nodded, and walked out into the living room.

“You owe me big, Astin,” Elijah hissed.

Sean just looked at him for a moment. “Get over it, Elijah,” he said calmly. Elijah blinked. Sean only called him “Elijah” in that tone when he was very, very serious. “You’ve got more to do tonight than that innocent act you’re so good at.”

“But… everyone thinks I can’t keep a secret. You _know_ I can, I never tell anyone _anything_. Well, except you,” he amended. He knew he sounded childish, but he was sick of everyone thinking he was untrustworthy.

“That’s why you’re the perfect accomplice,” Sean agreed. “Now get over it. There’s a lot at stake. I need your help.”

*****

When Billy walked into the living room, the first thing he noticed was Dom’s presence. It occurred to him that this was only because he couldn’t walk into a room, any room, without searching it for his mate. He stifled the realization. Orli and Chris were sitting by the fireplace, animatedly discussing future plans for Sean’s production company – a topic which ordinarily would have fascinated Billy. Tonight, however, his attention was drawn back to the one person he was trying to avoid.

Dom was sitting on the brown leather couch cradling a toddler in one arm, while using the other to protect her from the flailing arms and legs of her sister, who seemed to have mistaken Dom for a jungle gym. Dom winced as the seven-year-old pressed a bony knee between his shoulder blades.

“Look, Mom, I’m a cowgirl!” Allie grabbed for the back of Dom’s collar to use as reins, and ended up catching the chain he always wore, bearing the “engagement ring” she’d given him. The mechanical nut hit him solidly in the hollow of his throat as she slipped and slid down his back. Even as he choked, he instinctively wrenched his upper body in an impressive twist to grab Allie on his right before she fell, without ever letting go of the sleepy bundle in the crook of his left arm. He smoothly scooped the surprised girl onto his lap, and then exhaled in relief as she squealed and hugged him, planting exuberant kisses all over his face. Grinning, he hugged her back and then kissed Lizzie’s nose as she fussed at being left out.

Watching them from the doorway, Billy’s throat tightened with emotions that he shied away from analyzing.

“That was fun! I wanna do it again. Dommie, can we do it again? Pleeeease?” She bounced energetically on his knee like…well, like a seven-year-old up past her bedtime.

“Allie,” Sean said calmly from the doorway, as he slipped past Billy, with Elijah on his heels. “Come on now, leave Dom alone. It’s time for bed, young lady.”

“But Daaaaddy…” she pouted.

“Come on, Munchkin, give me a hug before you go up.” Dom was pretty sure one of Elijah’s favorite things about Allie was that _he_ got to call someone that for a change.

“Lijah! Lijah Lijah Lijah!!” Allie bounced off Dom’s lap, and he laughed at her fickle nature as he rubbed the reddened skin at his throat with his free hand. He looked past Sean and Elijah, and saw Billy, and his laughter stopped. Billy swallowed and looked away, unable to watch his best mate laugh so freely while he stood there hurting so much. He didn’t see Dom’s jaw work as his friend forced his breathing into a normal pattern, and not from the minor injury to his throat.

Dom did his best to keep his smile pasted on, but seeing Billy there, with that uninterested look on face made Dom feel as if someone were tightening metal bands about his throat, his chest, and most definitely his heart. He tried for a defiant grin with limited success.

“Dom?”

He turned back to see Allie in front of him again. “Yes, sweetheart?” He could manage a real smile for her, at least.

“Can I have my ring back?”

“What?”

“I want Lijah to wear it,” she smiled prettily. “I’m going to marry him instead. But don’t worry, I’ll find you someone.”

He stared at her for a moment, feeling Billy’s eyes on him. He reached for the chain and slipped it off, telling himself sternly that he was _not_ going to cry at being thrown over by a seven-year-old with the attention span of…well, of a seven-year-old. He was _not_ going to feel sorry for himself. Although not being good enough for Billy was one thing; deep inside he’d always known that. Not being good enough for a kid like Allie, sweet as she was, however, was another. _Stop it_ , he ordered himself. As usual, no one was listening.

“Hey Billy! How’s it going, man?” Orlando had just noticed their friend’s presence, too.

You could just about see the lightbulb go off over his head, Dom thought irritably.

“I know!” Orli grinned at Allie. “Dom could marry _Billy_!” He cackled, oblivious to the tension that enveloped the other adults in the room.

 _What the hell_ , Dom wondered, ready to take back all the appreciation he’d had for his mate’s support the week before.

“Yeah, and you could –” Whatever Orli was going to suggest was cut off by Elijah shoving a nearby platter of M&Ms at him.

“Hey, chocolate!” Luckily Orlando had the only attention span shorter than Allie’s.

There was a long moment in which Orlando’s happy munchings were the only sounds to cut the silence. Even Allie was surprisingly quiet, looking back and forth between Billy and Dom with a speculative look. She looked less as if she knew something than as if she were planning something, Dom thought distractedly.

Sean cleared his throat uncomfortably, ending the moment. “Here, Dom,” he said, reaching out to take Lizzie.

Dom brushed a kiss across the sleepy toddler’s forehead before handing her to her father, who in turn claimed a kiss as well, and handed her off to a vaguely amused-looking Chris. After a round of goodnights, the three girls disappeared in the direction of the stairs.

Dom looked up and caught Billy’s eye. Billy was walking toward him, looking calm. Determined, even. Dom panicked. If he hadn’t wanted to have this conversation in private, there was no way he was going to have in front of their best mates. He leapt up muttering “need a beer” and pushed past Billy and Sean. A moment later he was alone in the kitchen, his forehead pressed to the wall, willing himself not to cry. He couldn’t do this, couldn’t pretend to be unaffected while Billy laughed and enjoyed himself with their friends. All he wanted to do was find some place to hide, and curl himself into a tiny ball, wrapped protectively around his broken heart.

In the living room, Sean and Billy exchanged glances. Sean and Elijah exchanged glances. Even Orli realized something was up, pausing mid-munch, one hand still buried in the bowl of M&Ms.

“Billy,” Sean started.

But Billy was already on his way to the kitchen. After a split second of indecision, Sean remembered knives and dangerous objects and the look in Dom’s eyes when he first saw Billy there, and decided to follow.

“What the hell is going on, mate?” he heard Orli demand, before the door closed behind him. As he watched two of his best friends stare daggers at each other, he wished he knew the answer.


	18. Three Ring Circus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party really gets going

“Another beer, Billy?” Sean asked politely. He knew Billy had barely touched the first one, but he had to say something to fill in the awkward silence.

“Better be careful,” Dom answered for him, feeling already-drunk on bitterness and a half can of imported stout. “A beer too many, and Billy will fuck anything that moves.” He hated the way his throat closed on the end of that sentence, hated how much it hurt to say. He pushed away from the wall he’d been leaning on and slammed out the back door, not caring if it was rude. He had to get away before he started crying in Sean and Chris’ kitchen.

Billy stared after him for a minute, then looked at Sean as if he might have the answers.

“I don’t know, man.” Sean wondered how much he should say. He would do damn near anything to help make things right between his friends, but he didn’t want himself, Elijah or Orli to get caught up in taking sides, or appearing to, in this mess. Things could get awfully bitter, he worried. And he didn’t have much more of the story than Billy did, really. Just that Dom had been a wreck lately, and had overheard Billy saying…something. Orli’s drunken recitation hadn’t made a whole lot of sense to Elijah, and of course he couldn’t remember anything about it after he sobered up. And Dom wasn’t talking to _anyone_ after he’d sobered up – so there was no way to get those questions answered. In the end, Sean just sighed, and watched Billy shove the door open and disappear through it, looking more angry now than confused.

*****

Chris had just put the kids to bed when she realized she still hadn’t brought in the picnic basket she and Sean had taken down to the beach the evening before, while Mac had taken the girls out to the rodeo. The same rodeo that had apparently inspired Allie to inadvertantly strangle Dom just a few moments ago. Smiling, she shook her head, then froze. Remembered what else was in the basket. The basket which could at any moment be found by their guests. _Shit._

The fastest way to the beach was through the house and out the back door in the kitchen. She didn’t really want to answer any questions about why she suddenly craved a walk on the beach, however, especially at this hour, by herself, when she had a houseful of guests. She slipped down the stairs as quietly as possible, and slipped out the front door instead. Once outside, she broke into a run.

*****

“Where did they go?” Elijah looked around the kitchen twice before venturing in. Sean smiled, feeling inexplicably proud of his young friend for his hard-learned caution.

“Dom ran off, Billy followed. Where’s Orlando?”

“On the couch, eating M&Ms, watching some reality TV. He really does have the world’s shortest attention span, you know.” Elijah helped himself to a beer from the fridge.

“Right now, that’s fine. Because one of us needs to go after Dom and Billy.”

“Why?”

“To make sure they’re talking. And not killing each other.” Sean grimaced. The looks the two had given each other had him concerned.

“Yeah, OK, I’ll do it. You gonna babysit Orli, then?” Elijah set his beer down reluctantly. He thought Sean was probably worrying too much, but didn’t mind setting his friend at ease.

“At least until Chris comes down. Take your cell and call me if you can’t separate them. I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

“Yes, mom.”

“Cute, Lighe.”

“I’ll make sure no one loses an eye.”

Sean smiled. “OK, maybe I worry a bit. But I love those guys. And you, too. So I worry.”

Elijah walked over and hugged Sean. “We love you, too, Seanwise. And I’m glad to be here with you at –”

“Don’t even say it!” Sean laughed. If there was a line they’d heard quoted too many times, that was easily it.

Elijah just shook his head as he released his friend, giggling as he walked out the back door.

*****

There it was! Chris jumped down the slight incline from the grassy treeline to the beach, and scooped up the basket. She heard an angry yell, and looked up to see Dom walking down the beach toward her, and Billy hurrying to catch up to him. Neither had seen her. She climbed quickly back up toward the bushes and sought shelter behind them as she flicked open the basket. Remains of a romantic dinner, check. Adult reading material, check. Handfull of toys of a sort not suitable for Allie and Lizzie, check. She blushed a little. And…wait. Where the hell did they leave the flavored lube? She groaned silently, and willed the voices – which, from the sounds of it, had stopped just yards away – to keep moving, but to no avail. She was just going to have to wait and pray that the guys didn’t find it. They’d never hear the end of it, otherwise. Yeah, the guys could move on _any second now_ …

*****

“Running away again?” Dom heard Billy’s voice calling after him, as angry as his own. What the hell did Billy have to be angry about?

“Why do you care,” Dom forced himself to sneer as he turned to face his one-time best mate. “Fancy another fuck you can regret when you sober up?”

Billy got right in his face. “The fuck are you talking about, Monaghan? You aren’t blaming this shit on me. You ran out on me, you fucker.”

He was flushed, and his eyes were flashing with fury. Dom resisted the urge to grab him, to cross the miniscule distance between them and kiss Billy with all the anger and pain and longing and love he held inside. “Don’t lay this on me, Boyd. Don’t get fucking pissy with me because you didn’t have the chance to leave me first. I heard –” his voice cracked before he could get it under control. He drew in a breath, trying desperately to remind himself that he was angry – not sad, not in pain, not brokenhearted, heartsick, and just plain broken inside, but angry. “I heard enough,” he continued after a moment. “I’ve fucking heard enough, and I’m not listening anymore.”

He turned to walk away, but Billy grabbed him, hard and shook him. “Don’t you run, Dom.” The low voice was at odds with his rough handling, and made Dom shiver. “Don’t you fucking run from me again. Not till we settle this.”

He’d tried. He’d really and truly tried, but the sound of Billy’s voice and the feel of Billy’s hands on him broke his will to resist. Dom’s hands connected with Billy’s chest hard, and sent him sprawling to the wet sand. A second later Dom landed on top of him, his hands supporting his weight on either side of Billy’s head. “Settle what, Billy?” he demanded, snarling. “Because there’s only one ‘this’ between us. So let’s settle it, here and now.”

Dom’s mouth came down on Billy’s with such force that it split his mate’s lower lip and Billy tasted blood. He yelled into Dom’s mouth and grabbed his shirt with the intention of pushing him off, but as Dom’s hot, wet tongue thrust roughly between his lips, Billy suddenly found it hard to remember that he was supposed to be pushing away, not pulling greedily closer. Anger had turned to passion, and pain had turned to need in the space of a shared heartbeat. Billy moaned and moved his hips against Dom’s, feeling himself harden as Dom licked at the blood away almost tenderly before fiercely grinding their lips together again with a technique that owed more to raw passion than finesse. Billy couldn’t get enough. Dom was a fire in his veins, and the roughness of Dom’s touch was almost more than Billy could bear. His hands clenched in Dom’s shirt with such force that the fabric nearly tore beneath them.

Dom let his full weight settle on Billy as he grabbed his friend’s hands and jerked them away from his shirt, yanking them over his head and pinning Billy’s wrists together in the cool, wet sand with strong fingers as he continued to devour his best mate’s hot, slick, begging mouth with raw hunger and heat. Billy bucked his hips mindlessly into Dom’s, wanting, needing, _craving_ the feel of Dom’s heavy erection against his own, hating and loving his own helplessness as Dom overpowered him, held him nearly immobile. When he felt Dom’s hard cock thrusting against him, Billy cried out into Dom’s mouth, only to be rewarded by Dom forcing his hips to still, pinning him hard to the ground before dragging his own stiff cock along Billy’s, through the layers of their clothes.

Billy was writhing beneath Dom, twisting, begging for more contact, more friction. Dom responded by bringing his knees up so that he was straddling Billy, tearing his mouth away from their kiss to look into Billy’s fire-bright eyes as he thrust his hips slowly, deliberately, sliding their hard cocks over each other, making them both shudder at the sensation, muted as it was by their clothing. He stared down at his mate, taking in the glassy eyes, the swollen lips, the flushed cheeks. “Is this what you want?” he demanded roughly, scarcely recognizing his own voice.

Billy stilled for a moment, his gaze locked with the feverish blue of Dom’s, and that was all the warning Dom got. Bucking his hips hard, he threw the younger man off balance. Dom let go of Billy’s wrists as his lower half became momentarily airborne. He landed on his elbows, the only thing keeping him from smothering Billy, who he was still on top of…but no longer in control of, as Billy’s hands and lips were proving. Those hands gripped Dom’s hips, which now hovered inches from Billy’s face, and his mouth nuzzled desperately at the hard bulge through the black denim, breathing hotly into it, inhaling the musk of Dom’s unmistakable arousal. Dom groaned and rolled over quickly, Billy coming with him, clinging tightly to his lower half.

Billy’s mouth was hot and insistent, licking and nipping and shaping with his lips, and Dom wasn’t in any shape to argue. He threaded his fingers into Billy’s hair, and thrust his hips upward toward that wet heat, frustrated by the clothing that separated them. A familiar voice made them both freeze, mid-thrust and mid-lick.

“Hey guys, are you down here? Sean said…oh, um…shit. Never mind!” In the gathering dark, they could just see Elijah’s silhouette hurrying away.

Dom smirked, and would swear he could feel Billy do the same. He forgot about it a minute later, however, as he felt a hand popping the button on his jeans and easing down the zip. When the heat of Billy’s breath penetrated his boxers, he moaned, and dragged his hands out of Billy’s hair to push frantically at his jeans and shorts. The wet of the sand made it more difficult, even with Billy’s help, and he ended up struggling to his feet in order to get them off. Billy was right beside him in a moment, pulling Dom’s shirt off, and Dom grabbed him and pulled him close, kissing him hard, even as he peeled Billy’s dress shirt away from his body as fast as Billy could unbutton it.

When he finally got his hands all over Billy’s hot flesh, Dom thought he’d died and gone to heaven. Every inch of skin was _his_ , and he want to explore it, claim it with his fingers, lips and tongue. He bit down hard on the juncture of neck and shoulder as he flicked a sensitive nipple with rough fingertips. Billy groaned, and grabbed Dom by the hair, pulling his head back up for a hot kiss, tongues slipping, thrusting, battling and soothing. He bit Dom’s lower lip, but not hard enough to draw blood. He stroked the mark with his tongue as Dom went wild against him, bucking his hips hard into Billy’s, whimpering as his sensitive flesh met strained cotton instead of lust-hot skin.

Billy slid his body against the heat of Dom’s, shivering at the slick skin-on-skin contact, at the rasp of chest hair on nipples. He slipped a hand between them to grasp Dom’s cock, so silky and smooth and hard, so hot in his hand. He stroked it once, twice, his thumb flicking over the vein as Dom moaned needily and thrust into Billy’s hand. On the third stroke, he brought two fingers over the head and found it wet with precum. Remembering their phone conversation, Billy grabbed Dom’s chin with his other hand, forced the other man to look at him at he brought the fingers to his mouth, sucked them in, thrusting and licking and loving the taste. Dom whimpered, and grabbed his friend by the shoulders, pushing him downward, not forcing, but encouraging – pleading, even. Billy smiled in satisfaction as he allowed himself to be guided to his knees. He looked up and locked eyes with Dom, even as he flicked his tongue out to capture another salty drop from the tip of his friend’s straining cock. He hummed, savoring the taste on his tongue, licking his lips, spreading the taste, and smiled. “ _Please_ ,” Dom whispered, and buried his fingers in Billy’s hair, urging him closer. Billy grasped the base of his friend’s cock firmly in one hand, and reached around to grab Dom’s arse with the other, squeezing as he pulled Dom to him, taking his cock deep into his beautiful, hot, wet little mouth on the first stroke.

Dom moaned, thrust deeper, until Billy’s lips touched his hand. Billy responded by moving his hand to Dom’s other cheek, and pulling him in the rest of the way, burying his nose in the hair at the base of Dom’s cock. Dom didn’t recognize the sounds he was making, didn’t realize they were coming from his own mouth. All he knew was that the sight of his cock buried in his best mate’s mouth was the sexiest thing in the world, second only to the hotwetslicktight _feel_. And then Billy sucked on his cock, hard, and Dom thought he actually saw stars.

When he heard the voice again, it took him several moments to place it. “Um guys? Aw, fuck…I mean – no, I’m not looking, not looking, can’t see anything…Dom stop making those noises for just a second, would you?” It was Elijah, he realized slowly. But what the fuck was he babbling about? Couldn’t he see they were busy?

“Um…er, listen, I found this and…I think you dropped it…might need it…uh, yeah, so here. Uh, bye.”

Something landed at Dom’s feet. A bottle. He could just make out the label. “Strawberry flavored lube?” he croaked.

Then Billy laughed around his cock, and the sensation was so intense that Dom forgot how to read.

*****

Elijah was stumbling up the bank, mumbling to himself, and trying to shake the image he’d just witnessed from his mind when a slight movement caught his attention. He looked up, and locked eyes with…Chris? He flushed, and thought that she might have, too, although it was too dark to know for sure. He opened his mouth, but she shook her head quickly, gesturing back toward the beach, which – as various moaning, keening, and sucking sounds proved – was still very much in hearing range. He nodded, and walked quickly back to the house, telling himself he just didn’t want to know.

As for Chris, she wasn’t going anywhere.


	19. The Greatest Show On Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And in the Center Ring...PWP. On the beach.

Billy was on his knees in wet sand, naked from the waist up, his Dockers were damp and filthy, and there was no place he’d rather be. His mouth was full of Dom’s cock, thick and silky and salty with sweat and precum, thrusting deliciously between his lips, and his hands were kneading the cheeks of Dom’s arse, and the sounds he was hearing were music to his ears.

“Jesus, Billy… _fuck_ yeah, suck me harder…pleaseplease _please_ …I want…oh God yeah do that again…fuck…oh fuck Billy your tongue feels so good so good so fucking good oh fuck Billy stop I’m gonna come I’m gonna come I’m gonna…shit Billy don’t stop please don’t…come back…”

Billy sat back on his heels, staring up at Dom’s face as he undid the button of his own Dockers, and slid the zip down slowly. His hand slipped inside his boxers, and Dom watched mesmerized, still panting, as the hand moved up and down on his cock, obscured by the fabric so that he could see only motion. Dom moaned breathlessly. Billy smiled, even as he pushed hard into his hand at the expression of pure lust on Dom’s face. He swallowed at the sight of Dom’s cock bobbing, thrumming with each heartbeat just inches from his mouth. God, but Dom tasted so good, so fucking good, felt like heaven with a pulse when he fucked Billy’s mouth. Billy licked his lips involuntarily. Dom stared at him, slack jawed and glassy eyed, as breathy little noises escaped him.

“ _Billy_ ,” Dom moaned, drawing the name out, his long fingers finding their way into Billy’s hair, cradling his head gently. He tugged insistently, pulling Billy back toward him, even as his hips surged forward, seeking the welcoming wet heat of Billy’s sexy little mouth. Billy couldn’t help but moan in response. If Dom was addictive, the sight and smell and feel, and taste of his hard cock were undoubtedly part of the high. Billy couldn’t seem to get enough of it, loved everything about it.

As his soft lips touched the pulsing head of Dom’s cock, Billy’s tongue snaked out of its own volition, lapping at the new drops of precum on the head. Fuck, but that taste turned him on, he thought, his own hips bucking, his swollen cock brushing with frustratingly little friction against the thin material of his boxers. He turned his head one way, then the other, his lips against Dom’s cock, letting the liquid coat them. Dom’s breath was coming in short pants, and suddenly he pushed forward into Billy’s beautiful mouth without warning, whimpering at the feel of wet heat surrounding him, stroking him, as Billy tongued the underside, swirled around the head, sucked hard, hollowed his cheeks, and swooped down to take Dom all the way into his throat. Dom gasped and gripped Billy’s head, fucking his mouth hard. If he was a little rough, Billy didn’t mind. Billy was far too turned on to care, was dying to touch himself, but he felt as if he didn’t have enough hands as it was, because he wanted – no _needed_ to touch Dom everywhere. There was no turning back this time, and Billy couldn’t wait to taste all of Dom. One hand stroked Dom’s balls and the space behind them, while the other teased at his sensitive opening, drawing little circles and patterns, eliciting whimpers and rough thrusts into Billy’s hotwet mouth. When Billy felt the head swell hotly in his mouth, he slipped his finger inside of Dom, heard Dom yell even as his balls drew up tight, slipping from Billy’s other hand.

“Billy – God Billy – love your mouth gotta fuck your pretty mouth fuckohfuckohyeah suck me harder Billy wanna come in your mouth so bad sofuckingbad make me come Billy so good suck me so good gonna come gonna come gonna _Fuck_ I’mcomingBillyI’mcomingI’mcomingI’m –” Dom’s monologue ended on a moaning grunt as he came hard, flooding Billy’s mouth in a series of long, hot, salty spurts that made Billy shake with the feel and taste and sensory overload of Dom’s orgasm as his friend shuddered and released above him, inside him. He moaned and stroked himself and thought he’d die of pleasure, and dying with Dom inside him seemed like a pretty good way to go, he thought, shuddering hard.

*****

“Seriously, dude, you owe me. Like, you’re gonna have to pay for all the therapy I’m gonna need from all of this.” Elijah was sitting in Sean’s kitchen, scrubbing at his eyes with the heels of his palms as if trying to erase some image imprinted on his retina.

“Come on, mate, most people have to pay for a show like that,” Orlando teased. He and Sean occupied the other two chairs pulled up to the table for their pow wow.

Elijah just gave him a dirty look.

“So they weren’t talking?” Sean asked again, sounding worried.

Elijah thought of the noises Dom had been making, and decided they didn’t qualify. “No, but they seemed to be getting along just fine, Sean.”

“Sex is one thing, Doodle. Communicating is another. Those two love each other, and I just don’t want to see them hurt each other any more than they already have.”

“You missed your calling, man. You should have been a marriage counselor.” This smartass remark from Orlando, who had been soaking up the conversation since Elijah got back, and was more or less up-to-speed now.

Elijah was not happy about this, but if they had to have another co-conspirator in this, he supposed – grudgingly – that Orli was a decent choice. Especially if they could keep his mouth shut when necessary. He made a mental note to find out if Chris had any more M&Ms stashed in the house.

Sean just sighed. “Maybe when you get old enough to think with more than just your dick, you’ll understand.”

“You get that old?” Elijah just barely beat Orlando to the punch on that one, and both looked shocked.

Sean made a face. “Cute, guys. Now, seriously, what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know, how about we wait until they get back, and see how they seem then?” Orlando said sensible things at the most unexpected moments, Elijah had noticed.

Even Sean was forced to agree. “You’re right. I just wish we knew _now_.”

Elijah just looked at him. “Forget it, dude. If you wanna find out, _you_ go. I’ve been traumatized enough for one day.”

Sean had to smile at that. “I guess that settles it then – we wait.”

*****

Dom was shaking, and his knees felt as if they were about to buckle, even as he slowly drifted down from the peak. He couldn’t remember ever coming so hard in his life, not even with Billy inside him. He was floating, and his vision was coming in stillframes instead of motion shots. Click. The ocean, the night, the wet sand. Click. Billy on his knees, naked now, so beautiful, lips parted, eyes wide, looking as shaken as Dom felt. Click. The bottle of lube at his feet.

Now, that made him pause. Where had that come from? Right, Doodle, but…how odd. How very _deus ex machina_. Dom suddenly felt like a character in a B movie, or perhaps one of those dreadful stories he’d heard about on the internet. It occurred to him that he was even having sex on the beach, and how clichéd was that? The more he thought about it, the more certain he became that he was the victim of bad writing, but then he looked down at Billy kneeling in front of him, licking his lips hungrily – _tasting my cum_ he realized with a jolt, and if he weren’t still recovering from the aftershocks of that intense orgasm, he knew he’d be at least half-hard again already at the thought, at the fucking sexy sight – and concluded that he didn’t care one bit about the writing. As long as this one ended happily, with him and Billy and a happily ever after, then he was just fine with the sex on the beach, the strawberry lube delivered by the hand of God – or Elwood, as the case may be – and everything else about this story. Most especially the man in front of him. The man who, he realized a little guiltily, was having to take _matters_ into his own hand, since Dom was neglecting him, lost in his little world of post-orgasmic bliss. Dom watched Billy stroke himself, and swallowed hard, knowing he’d recover in record time at this rate.

He wasn’t sure whether his knees finally gave, or whether he dropped to them of his own accord, but a moment later he was level with his mate, tenderly cupping Billy’s face in both hands. He leaned in and kissed Billy thoroughly, leisurely, taking his time and tasting himself on Billy’s perfect lips, his brilliant tongue, every surface of his beautiful mouth. He felt a little dizzy as he explored Billy’s hot mouth with his own. Fuck, but that taste, that knowledge was going a long way toward making him hard again. Someone moaned, and he wasn’t sure which it was, but Billy was suddenly frantic, his tongue thrusting hotly into Dom’s mouth, his hands working his own cock feverishly.

As much as Dom loved to see Billy touch himself, the time had come to put his foot down, he decided. Stroking Billy, making him come…that was Dom’s job, and he wasn’t about to let anyone else take it, even his best mate. He grabbed both of Billy’s hands, threading their fingers together and refusing to let go. Billy just whimpered and started rubbing himself against Dom’s hip, the friction as well as the sight and sound sending heat spiking through Dom as well. Dom slipped his fingers from Billy’s, and grabbed his wrists, yanking together over their heads so that he could grasp them with one hand, while the other grasped Billy’s hip firmly, forcing him to stillness. His friend was entirely too close to the edge, and Dom wasn’t at all ready for Billy to come yet. Not even close. He held them that way, still for long moments, until Billy’s breathing slowed, became more normal, and he stopped struggling. Only then did Dom release Billy’s hips, but kept a firm grip on his mate’s wrists. He got the feeling Billy liked that. A lot. And that was perfectly fine with Dom.

With a tug, he pulled them both down to the sand, lying on their sides, facing each other. A quick shift of his hips, and he was on top of Billy, feeling that hot erection pressing into his own swiftly hardening cock. Still gripping Billy’s wrists, he cupped the back of his friend’s neck with his free hand, and leaned down and captured those soft, perfect lips for a slow kiss that quickly got out of hand as Billy used his tongue as a weapon, stabbing into Dom’s mouth, devastatingly hot and slick and demanding. Dom pulled away panting slightly. Those pretty lips curved slightly, and Dom bit each one playfully, even as he rubbed himself into Billy’s enticing hard-on.

“Yeah,” Billy breathed. The sound made Dom hard in an instant. He thrust his hand into Billy’s soft hair and licked Billy’s lips hotly, pushing his tongue between them to stroke Billy from within. Billy’s hips started to buck upward again, and he was making a whimpering noise into Dom’s mouth that drove Dom nuts. He released Billy’s wrists, only to slip his fingers into Billy’s again, and force his mate’s hands to the sand on either side of their bodies. He kept Billy’s hands captive as he licked a slow, wet trail down Billy’s body, accompanied by the sound of harsh breathing and occasional moaning. When he reached Billy’s bellybutton, he paused and thrust his hotwet tongue slickly into the indentation, causing Billy’s hips to jerk, and words to spill from his mouth.

“Oh fuck, yeah, Dommeh…suck meh, ye tease! Please, please Dommeh, need yer mouth, yer tongue…fuck, yeah…oh God yes suck my cock…jes like that Dommeh…please Dommeh don’t stop don’t ever fucking stop…”

Dom was circling the head of Billy’s cock with his wicked tongue, tracing patterns up and down the underside, over the vein, flicking over and into the slit with the very tip, humming with pleasure and craving more. He pressed a kiss to the head, and let Billy thrust slowly upward into his hotwet mouth, let the hot, hard length push past the resistance of his softfirm pout, slide slickly into the liquid heat, and then sucked, hollowing his cheeks around Billy’s thick hard-on until he heard a gasp, surging downward until his nose brushed coarse auburn curls, and he could feel Billy’s heartbeat in the swollen head of his cock, pulsing hotly in Dom’s relaxed throat.

Billy wanted his hands in Dom’s hair, wanted to cup his head and thrust deep into that mouth. He looked down his body to find stormy blue eyes burning into him, and thought he’d never seen anything as beautiful or as hot as Dom’s mouth wrapped around his cock. His hips jerked and thrust, and suddenly he got his wish, as Dom released his left hand and moved in to stroke and tease Billy’s balls and the stretch of skin behind, places that had been begging for attention. Billy thrust his hand into Dom’s feather-soft hair, pulling that mouth down harder, tighter on his urgently pumping cock. The feel of Dom’s hand left Billy’s for a long moment, and Billy whimpered in protest, but forgot in the next second, as Dom took a long, hard cheek-hollowing suck, drawing Billy in deep, letting him thrust hard, letting Billy fuck his mouth the way he wanted to. And then the hand was back, wet and superslick with something, and Billy smelled strawberry candy for a moment. The hand returned to Billy’s sensitive testicles, teased them, stroked that spot behind them…and then trailed back to tease at the soft, velvety pucker, making Billy gasp, and drive his cock into Dom’s throat. Dom half-choked but recovered quickly. The convulsing muscles pushed Billy almost to the panting, begging edge, however.

“God Dommeh, fuckohfuckyeah, need this so bad need yer beautifulfuckingmouth feels so good, suck my cock Dommeh suck it suck it yeah, wanna come in yer mouth, want ye to taste meh, make meh come Dommeh, wanna come for ye… _oh God!_ ” Billy convulsed as Dom slipped his finger past that tight ring of muscle, into Billy’s tight heat. At the same time, he freed his other hand – Billy was gripping it as hard as he was being gripped, although he didn’t know it – and grabbed Billy’s cock hard at the base, cutting off his orgasm before it began. Billy whimpered, and thrust back and forth, not knowing whether he wanted to push up into Dom’s hotwet beautifulfuckingsexy mouth or down against that finger that slid so slickly, wetly inside him and _oh, God right there rightfuckingthereDommeh –_

Suddenly the velvety rasp of Dom’s tongue was gone, and the finger slid out of him, and Billy’s eyes shot open to find Dom over him, panting, raising Billy’s legs up, his hard cock nudging Billy’s arse in a way that was exciting and a little scary. His body tensed as a sudden thought penetrated the haze of lust. _He’d been so angry before, so forceful – it turned me on then, but…will he, _can_ he be gentle now? I’ve never done this before…don’t want him to hurt me…_

Dom saw the thought, the flash of fear and uncertainty in Billy’s eyes, and knew it for what it was. It shook him harder than it did Billy, cutting through his lust like a shard of glass. His throat closed and he bent down, pressed his forehead against Billy’s, feathered kisses against that beautiful mouth, slightly tense now. Whispered things, promises, didn’t even know what he was saying, was babbling really, just knowing he meant every word.

“No, Billy, no, not like that. Never hurt you, never…we don’t have to…love you Billy, never hurt you. I’d rather kill myself, Billy, never ever hurt you, love you so much, so fucking much…we can stop…I can –” His words were cut off by the feel of a callused hand on his cheek, the brush of soft lips on his, the gentle wiping of tears he hadn’t known were there.

“Shh, s’okay, Dommeh, s’okay. I want this, want ye, want ye so bad, Dommeh. Jes’ go slow, yeah?”

And Dom felt pressure against the head of his cock, and realized that Billy was trying to help him push inside. He groaned, sensation nearly wiping every thought from his mind, nearly making him forget the terrifying idea of Billy hurting. But not quite. He concentrated on going slow, pressed forward carefully, letting Billy adjust around him. Fuck. It felt…fucking incredible. He looked at Billy to find his friend staring back at him, lips parted. A pink tongue darted out, and unable to control himself, Dom pushed a little further, the head pushing past the last resistance. Billy exhaled, his muscles relaxed. He smiled, then stiffened again. Dom froze. “Billy?”

“Fuck…do that again, Dommeh… _please_ ” The need in his voice undid Dom. He thrust in the same spot, harder than he intended, but Billy seemed to love it, if the hands grabbing urgently at his arse were any indication. “Fuck fuck fuck ohh fuck,” Billy was chanting in short, sharp breaths. “God, Dommeh,” he shuddered hard. “Don’t fucking stop, don’t ever fucking stop, need ye to fuck meh, need it so bad love, fuck meh fuck –” Billy lost the ability to speak when Dom’s hand slipped between them to close tightly around him, slick with lube, stroking him hard and fast in time with his thrusts.

Billy felt the feeling start at the base of his spine, tingling and building and pouring over him until he gave a yell and came hard, shuddering and moaning and thrusting into Dom’s palm. The sight of Billy coming all over them, the feel of him clenching viscerally around Dom’s cock, the hot wetness of him on Dom’s hand and stomach, the look of pure ecstasy on Billy’s face, lips parted in an O, green eyes blazing and liquid all at once as they held Dom’s, the needy noises he made – it was all too much for Dom, and he leaned in to press a hard kiss to Billy’s lips, crying out his orgasm as he exploded in a burst of intensity and fire and beautifulfuckingheaven inside his mate, his lover, his love.


	20. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dom deals with the aftermath

Dom let himself rest on Billy’s chest until the sharp, sweet aftershocks died away. Let himself drink in the simple nearness of Billy, now that the fierce storm of need had momentarily passed, until his mate’s breaths came in the soft, even rhythm of sleep. Closed his eyes, and let himself have the moment that he wished could last forever.

And then he wrenched himself away; a motion at once physically gentle and emotional tearing. He rolled a few feet to one side, and drew his knees to his chest, curling into a ball of misery.

He hadn’t meant to touch Billy in the first place, but once he started, he couldn’t stop. Billy was his drug, and he was afraid of what would happen when the fixes dried up. As was about to happen, once Billy woke up and remembered what Dom had said.

_I love you._

He’d wanted to say those words, wanted Billy to want to hear them, to say them in return. Wanted to tell him at the right moment, when he’d had time to convince Billy that neither Ali nor that mystery woman nor anyone else would ever be right for him. That only Dom could be that. But Dom hadn’t even been able to convince himself.

And now the words had spilled out – why? Not even out of passion, that he might have understood. No, it was because he’d managed to frighten the man he loved more than anything, managed to make Billy think that Dom could somehow hurt him, and the sight of that fear had broken Dom’s heart. The only one with the power to hurt was Billy, and Dom had meant to never let him see it.

Now what? His secret was out. He’d spilled his love for Billy like precious water into desert sand, and he could never take it back. And Billy had said…nothing. No, not nothing. He’d said it was okay. Said he wanted Dom. Said nothing about love.

 _He called you 'love',_ the tiny part of him that hadn’t yet surrendered hope pointed out meekly. He crushed it ruthlessly. He calls the makeup girls ‘love’, and the woman who runs the coffee shop near his apartment, Dom thought. He calls strangers ‘love’. And Dom was desperately afraid that that’s what he was on his way to being.

No, he’d confessed his feelings, recklessly, and they weren’t answered. He’d already known that, already knew what Billy wanted, and it wasn’t him. Not the way he wanted and needed and loved Billy, anyway. So, he had a choice. He could run again, and keep running. Leave it all behind as if it never existed. Pretend he’d never met Billy, never had the greatest friendship of his life, never fallen deeper and harder than he’d ever imagined possible. Or he could stay and face the music. Try to salvage their friendship, even though it could never really be the same after that, could it? Keep Billy in his life, even if it’s not like it was. Have the right to call Billy, hear his voice, see him from time to time, even if it’s on someone else’s arm. One heartbreak or another. His choice.

Except it wasn’t, really. There was no choice involved. He could give up air first, could force himself to hold his breath until he lost consciousness or life before he could force himself to stay away from Billy again. He hadn’t made it two weeks without the sound of his best friend’s voice, and every day had been empty for it. The idea of forever without Billy made Dom physically ill with pain and worry and despair.

And so he’d stay. If handing his heart to Billy, and watching it get crumpled up and tossed aside was the price for being near the man he loved, then it was the price Dom would willingly pay.

Which left only the question of sex. Dom knew he shouldn’t touch Billy again, knew it only made the twin aches in his body and heart worse, gave the parallel addictions stronger hold on him. But if Billy wanted him, he also knew he couldn’t resist. Couldn’t keep himself from allowing Billy whatever he wanted, especially when it was what Dom wanted so very badly as well. In this, too, he had no choice. He breathed a long, shuddering sigh into the night.

Eventually, the sound of the tide lulled him into a restless sleep. He woke a few hours later, just before dawn – it was a time with which he was excruciatingly familiar, thanks to the standard 4 a.m. call for Feet – stiff and uncomfortable, still in his fetal position. His body was still far better off than his heart, he decided, which felt bruised and battered by his own stupidity and Billy’s gentle indifference.

That mental description reminded him suddenly of how he’d felt the morning after he’d first spent the night with Billy, and though his heart clenched painfully at the memory, it also served as a practical reminder as well: Billy was going to be very sore when he awoke. And since that was Dom’s fault, it only seemed right that he should try to do something about it. The thought energized him a little, gave him a purpose, a reason to move.

He unfurled his limbs slowly, stiffly, and pushed to his feet. There was just enough moonlight to find his clothing. He rifled through his pockets until he found it: the handkerchief he always carried with him, because of his allergies. Thankfully, it was clean. He picked his way carefully down the beach and dipped the cloth into the warm water, soaking it thoroughly before approaching his sleeping friend. Kneeling down between Billy’s still-spread legs, Dom examined him gently. No blood – good. The saltwater would be much kinder if there wasn’t any broken skin to cleanse. He dabbed gently at the tender, reddened flesh, knowing exactly what it was going to feel like when Billy woke up. One more thing to regret.

Billy didn’t stir throughout the process, and when Dom finished soothing and washing away the physical remains of their encounter, he pressed a tender kiss to Billy’s forehead, unable to resist. There would be time enough for recriminations later; this might be his last chance to feel Billy’s skin beneath his lips, and he wasn’t going to deny himself that split second of bittersweet pleasure.

As he walked back down to the water, it occurred to him that he could probably use a wash-up himself. He’d surfed this beach enough times that he knew it like the back of his hand, so he waded in unthinkingly, despite the meager moonlight. He let the waves lap at him, feeling the timeless pull of the tide, and tried to let his thoughts and worries slip away on them, if only for a moment.

*****

When Chris walked in the back door, carrying the picnic basket, Orlando’s first thought was that she looked like she’d just run a mile – her face was flushed, her eyes were a little glassy, and she was breathing through her mouth. Sean’s first thought was that she looked at him the way she always did, always had, when he was about to get lucky. And not unlike the way she looked when she came. He swallowed. And wondered what she’d been doing outside with the “goodie basket.” Elijah didn’t think anything other than _shit_ , and did his best to avoid eye contact.

“Everything all right, honey?” Sean asked.

“Yeah, just a bit tired,” Chris replied. Definitely out of breath. “Think I’ll turn in.”

“Alright then…sweet dreams.”

Chris stopped. “Staying up late?” she asked, looking at him very intently.

“Um, well, it’s early yet…” Sean started.

“Alright, then...” She went up and made as if to kiss him on the cheek, but it was easy for both Elijah and Orlando to see she was actually whispering something in his ear.

Sean swallowed. Closed his eyes. Licked his lips. Stuck his hands in his pockets, shifting his trousers a bit. Looked a bit flushed himself. He opened his eyes, and tried to look at his friends without making eye contact. “Ah,” he began, but his voice squeaked, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “Ah, listen, guys, alright if I turn in? It could be hours before they come back…”

“Yeah, go on up, dude,” Elijah cut in quickly. Anything to get them out of there. He was redder than either of them already. Orlando just smiled blankly.

“You know where your rooms are, right? OK, then…g’night.”

“’Night, man.”

“Goodnight, Sean.”

But Sean was already heading out of the kitchen and upstairs. Quickly.

“What was that about, mate?” Orlando asked, the moment the door closed.

Elijah didn’t answer.

“Lighe?”

“Were there any M&Ms left?”


	21. And In The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The love you take is equal to the love you make(NOT the final chapter - 2 more to go)

  
_Billy’s dream was terrifying, yet unbearably calm, somehow, with the slow pace of the inevitable. In it, he and Dom were out on the water, paddling side by side on their boards, at their favorite beach in New Zealand, just like they had so many times. This time, though, something felt wrong, and it took Billy a long moment to figure out what. And then it hit him: it was nighttime. The sky was dark, and the water was darker, and the current was fiercely strong. Billy realized too late that they should never have come. He turned to Dom and yelled over the roar of the waves for them to turn back. He thought he saw Dom nod. A moment later, he stood in the shallows, with the vague memory of paddling frantically to shore. He was freezing, then, shivering with both cold and fear._

_Billy searched the wild tide for Dom’s form, but couldn’t see him. He started to panic. Just then, he caught sight of his friend, no closer to shore than when he had yelled for them to turn back. Dom was still trying to catch the thundering waves. Billy knew he couldn’t take one, they were only beginners, really, and these were conditions the craziest of the old pros wouldn’t have attempted._

_Through the rise and fall of the rough water, Billy saw Dom leap onto his board, trying to ride the most enormous and terrifying wave Billy had ever seen outside of a movie. Billy screamed at him, screamed to anyone for help but his screams were muted, and never seemed to get louder than a whisper. As Billy watched, helpless, Dom tumbled almost gracefully from the board._

_He stood paralyzed by fear, throat raw from screaming as he watched Dom bob up and down on the stormy ocean current, not struggling or trying to swim back to Billy. As Billy looked on in horror, Dom slipped the cord from his ankle, and let go of his board. Billy couldn’t see his lips move, or get more then an impression of the look on his face, but Dom seemed unnaturally serene as he disappeared and reappeared among the harsh waves._

_Over the thunder of the ocean and the muted but harsh screaming sounds coming his mouth, he heard clearly a familiar voice whisper “Goodbye, Billy.”_

_Dom disappeared again among the waves. He never reappeared, no matter how long Billy watched, screaming and shaking, and falling at last to his knees in the crashing waves._

 

Billy drifted languorously from sleep into reality, not remembering the dream at all just then. He felt Dom’s hands on him, so familiar, soothing, stroking something wet and soft over tender flesh. Felt the brush of a kiss on his forehead, and then the vibration of footsteps on the sand as Dom walked away. He lay there peacefully, waiting for his friend’s return.

After several minutes, he realized Dom had not yet come back. He opened his eyes, waiting long moments for them to adjust to the moonlit dark. He didn’t see Dom. Fury flooded through him. _Damn him_ , he thought. _Damn him for leaving me again. Damn him for lying about loving me. And damn me for letting him make me feel this way again – loved one moment and discarded the next._

He rolled to his feet, wincing at the soreness that Dom hadn’t been able to wash away. He couldn’t see his mate anywhere, and his anger grew by the minute. Then he spotted Dom’s clothes lying next to his own. Where could he be? It took Billy a moment, but when he turned toward the water and spotted Dom among the dark waves, all of his rage turned to terror as the dream came rushing back in a surge of unreality that overwhelmed any rational thought.

This time, his screaming wasn’t muted. This time, Dom turned at the sound of his name, fought against the tide, forcing his way through the waves as he rushed back to Billy. By the time Dom reached shore, Billy was shaking, and tears were pouring down his face. He was right on the edge of hysteria, and Dom wrapped his arms tightly around him, compelling him to stillness while trying to offer comfort. All thoughts of relationships and complications got pushed aside in the face of Billy’s panic.

“Shhh, what is it, Bills? Tell me, please. It’s okay, it’ll be okay, I promise.” Dom stroked Billy’s back soothingly, cradled Billy’s head on his shoulder, as his friend clung to him desperately.

Billy took one long, shuddering breath, and then pushed Dom away. Hard. “What th’ fuck d’ye think yer doin’, Monaghan?” he yelled, as Dom staggered backward. “Tryin’ t’ kill yerself? Don’ think I’ll feel guilty if ye manage, ye stupid bluidy wanker! Worthless coward! Tryin’ t’ run from me agin, ye filthy bastard, ’s that it? Can’ face me like a man? How dare ye let go! How dare ye drown an’ no’ come back t’ me! Ye don’ leave me, y’unnerstan?” His accent was thick, and his eyes were wild, and he obviously had no clue he wasn’t making a bit of sense. Dom just stood there stunned, and waited until Billy ran out of insults and nonsensical accusations.

Finally, when Billy was out of words, just standing there, panting for air and still shaking, Dom ventured a question. “Billy?” Billy looked at him, and this time his eyes were somewhat focused. “What was that, mate?”

Billy shook his head, wrapped his arms around himself. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse from shouting. “Just like my dream, Dom. Saw you out there, just like my dream. Went off my head a little. Thought you were trying to get away from me. You just let go, Dommeh, let go and drowned. How could you just let go?”

“It was just a dream, Billy.” Dom was there again in an instant, dripping wet and on the cold side, but wrapped reassuringly around him, holding him tight once more. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. I was just washing up. Not leaving you.”

“Promise? Promise me you won’t, Dommeh. It’s the one thing I couldn’t take.” Billy laid his head on Dom’s shoulder, sniffling and shuddering. Meanwhile Dom tried to keep a firm grip on his heart, but it kept soaring out of reach. _He doesn’t mean that,_ he told himself. _Not that way. He was just scared._

“I promise, Bills.” He made himself smile and plunge ahead. “Don’t know if Ali’ll want me hanging around, though, when you get her back.” His voice only shook a little, and Billy was shaking so much himself, he probably didn’t notice, Dom thought. “Now that she knows about…well, I never thought she liked me much, anyway.”

Billy pulled back, looking at him like he was out of his mind. “Are you fucking daft, Dom? Why the hell would I want her back? Even if I did, it’s not like she’d have me.” He looked away. “She’ll probably kill me when she finds out it didn’t work out with you.” It must have been exhaustion, or some leftover adrenaline that made Billy’s voice shake on those last few words, Dom told himself.

“She…uh…what?” he asked brilliantly. He suddenly felt like he was mid-shoot in a movie and he’d never read the script.

“That’s why she left me. She knew I was in love with you. Said we belonged together. Thought you loved me, too. Well, you know what they say. Two out of three ain’t bad.” Billy’s throat closed a little tighter, making the last sentence come out in a croak. He tried for a smile, and didn’t meet Dom’s eye.

“Er,” Dom began, wondering how to go about this, trying again to get a grip on his heart, which was now doing somersaults and triple flips, and God, if Billy wasn’t saying what it sounded like he was saying, Dom might just have to drown himself after all. Because with his hopes this high, there was just too far to fall. “Which…um, which two?”

“Well, the part about us belonging together…and…Jesus, Dom, do you have to make me say it? I love you. I’m in love with you, and remember, you promised not to run. You promised, and I’m not going to _let_ you run again. I get it, you don’t love me, or don’t love me like that. I won’t force it, I won’t make you uncomfortable, only…I can’t be without you again, understand? I just can’t.” It wasn’t adrenaline making Billy shake, Dom realized with a hesitant twinge of hope.

“Billy.” Dom’s voice betrayed the foolish smile that had plastered itself to his face, taken over by peaceful coup and looked to be settling in to stay a good long while. He forced himself to calm down, take one thing at a time. “That morning, after we…when I heard you on the phone…you told Ali it was all a drunken mistake…” In spite of the hope bubbling inside, his voice wavered a little with the pain of that memory.

Billy’s head jerked up, and he met Dom’s wary eyes, his face betraying shock. “What? No! Not _you_ , not _that_ night…God, Dom, we were talking about Merrie – I mean, Meredith,” he corrected himself quickly, seeing Dom’s obvious confusion. “That woman you saw me with. Meredith. Wanted me to call her Merrie. I wouldn’t,” he reassured his mate. “She was…a bad idea. I just didn’t want to admit I was in love with you. But I was.”

His eyes were bleak and crystalline as he met Dom’s gaze and admitted, “I was thinking of you the entire time. That’s why I called out your name.”

“So…with me, it wasn’t a mistake, then?” Dom hated to be redundant, but he needed to hear it one more time, to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.

“Not until you ran.” Billy’s voice betrayed bitterness, but changed a moment later, as he realized: “Wait – you ran because you thought I was saying it was a mistake to be with _you_?”

Dom nodded, feeling suddenly shy.

“But then…” Billy swallowed and then took a deep breath. “Dom, do you –”

“Yeah.” Dom breathed, and this time he let his heart show in his face. “I love you, Billy. Love you so damn much.” This time when his voice shook, it wasn’t with tears.

Billy couldn’t find the words, so he cupped Dom’s face with his hands, and kissed him tenderly, putting every bit of emotion in him into the caress. Dom’s hands slipped up Billy’s back to cup his face in turn, and he shook as he returned the kiss with all the love that he could finally let show.

*****

“Chris? What are you doing, love?” Sean’s voice was sleepy, sated. He’d been asleep only a few hours when he awoke to the sound of his wife typing on the laptop, as she sat next to him in bed. He struggled into a sitting position, only to have Chris shut the laptop quickly, before he had a chance to have a good look.

“Nothing, honey. Just a little bedtime story reading.” She smiled that secret, seductive smile he loved, and to his surprise, he felt himself stir again in answer.

He wondered why exactly she needed to type if she was reading. Then wondered what kind of “bedtime story” she was talking about. He’d barely gotten a glimpse of the screen before she’d shut it down, and the words that caught his eye were unhelpful, or made no sense. But then her soft hand slipped lower on his belly and her tongue flicked out to trace his lips, and he forgot to think about it anymore. What did it matter, anyway? _Monaboyd_ wasn’t even a real word…


	22. From This Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making love out of...no, I won't go there; the much-requested make-up sex

Dom is laying on his back in the sand, arms wrapped around his mate, his Bills. He feels happier than he ever has in his life, is almost sure he must be dreaming. Billy loves him. Really loves him. His Bills. He's ecstatic, and yet…

"Billy?"

"Mmm?" He feels as much as hears Billy's response, just as he feels the sleepy smile curve Billy's lips, now nestled against his shoulder.

"I'm an idiot. Have been, I mean."

"Yeah." Another smile. Pause. "Love you anyway."

"Sap."

"Wanker."

"Nah, I've got you to do that now."

Billy just grins, his breath like a warm laugh on Dom's skin.

Dom takes a deep breath. "Are you…I mean…what if -"

"No." Billy's voice is firm, and he rises up on his elbows just enough to meet Dom's gaze, his eyes like blown glass now, clear and shining in the starlight, his expression radiant. "No what ifs. No worries. You're thinking too much. I can feel it." He smiles, and the pure joy and loveliness of that smile takes Dom's breath away. "I love you. You love me. The rest is details."

Dom can't think of anything to say, so he just looks into Billy's eyes instead, and lets the light in them fill him up with reassurance and hope. If Billy loves him half as much as he loves his Bills, he knows it will be alright.

Billy laces his fingers through Dom's, and brings their joined hands up to stroke a knuckle down Dom's bearded cheek. "BillyandDom, yeah? It's just us, Dommeh. Just us, and always going to be us. No questions. No worries. No running."

"No," Dom agrees. He feels that assurance seep through him, warming him again in the light of Billy's smile. He wraps his other arm tightly around his best mate, his lover, his Bills.

Billy returns his embrace with quiet strength, smiling and pressing a kiss into Dom's shoulder. "Now, one thing…"

"Yeah?" Dom looks up, suppressing his natural urge to worry.

Billy smiles again, bright and warm…and more than warm. "Kiss me."

So Dom does. Softly, lips gentle and warm. More firmly, slick tongue flickering out to paint Billy lips, push between them. Hears and feels Billy's soft moan of approval. Traces Billy's perfect filtrum wetly with his tongue, and kisses it lightly, tickling Billy's nose.

Billy responds by drawing Dom's lush lower lip into his mouth, the delicious scrape of teeth making Dom shiver, and the warm, tugging suction creating a warmth low in his belly. Billy's tongue drags, slow and deliberate, over the sensitized lip, triggering delicate shudders that wash over Dom, and causing his cock, already half-hard from being pressed against Billy's naked body for the last hour, to twitch and swell. Billy smiles, even as he slips his tongue smoothly into Dom's hot mouth, caressing every surface, stroking over Dom's own enthusiastic tongue in a playful dance that quickly turns serious.

Suddenly, Billy's on his back, and Dom's on top, straddling his thighs in a half sitting position. "Gonna make this good for you, Bills," he breathes, looking into Billy's eyes. "Gonna make this so good. Gonna make you forget what an arse I've been. God, I'm so sorry."

"You haven't been -" Billy starts, but Dom silences him with a gentle finger over his lips, caressing and soft.

"I have, Billy, I know I have. Jumping to conclusions was bad enough, but running from you, and the things I said tonight…and that phone call last weekend - what?" Billy's smiling against his fingertip.

"I kind of liked that part, if you must know," he admits.

Dom smiles just a little, too. "Well, I kind of thought you liked parts of it. You know, the moaning was a dead give away." He pauses, and his voice is huskier when he continues. "And those sexy sucking sounds you made. Fuck, that was hot, Bills."

Billy moans a little now, and shifts his hips under Dom, just slightly. It's a restless movement, but it makes Billy's stiff cock brush against Dom's thick erection, and both of them gasp at the sensation. "You made me so hard, Dommeh," Billy rasps. "So hot for ye. It was all I could do not to come at the sound of yer voice. And the things ye said…and making me taste how much I wanted ye…I'll never forget that, Dommeh. Never forget that, and never forget how ye made me come so hard for ye. Ah, fuck."

Billy's moving his hips on purpose this time, rubbing back and forth against Dom in a slow, steady rhythm that's driving them both wild. Dom's breath is hot on Billy's ear, but it's the words, as much as the heat and the feel of Dom's beard scraping delicately across the sensitive flesh that makes Billy arch and moan. "Did you come for me, Billy? God, I wanted to stay on and hear it. Wanted to hear you come apart and yell my name, so fucking hot, just like you did with that woman. But all for me this time, Billy."

Dom flicks his tongue wetly over Billy's tender earlobe, then bites down on it, making Billy stiffen with excitement. He's beyond words just now, so he settles for action, slipping his hands into Dom's velvet-soft hair, moaning and rolling his hips up at Dom, hoping for contact, for friction and heat against his heavy, swollen cock.

But Dom's still determined to make this good for his Billy, and he's not going to let himself be distracted. He's kissing his way along Billy's jawline, hot, biting kisses, followed by soothing licks. He nips at Billy's chin, just the same spot he pinched at the Oscars, but Billy's not pulling away, or telling him to "geroff". No, this time Billy's panting into his mouth as he drags Dom up for a long kiss that's more tongue and teeth and fierce need than soft lips or gentleness. This time Billy's moaning and scraping the back of Dom's neck ever so lightly with his nails, drawing a shudder, and a roll of Dom's hips, before he can stop himself. This time, it's Dom who has to pull away. He pants for a moment, hot breath on Billy's perfect lips, now swollen and pink from Dom's kisses. The sight makes him even harder, and he hadn't thought that was possible.

"You're so sexy," he half-moans against those lips. "So beautiful and so sexy and so fucking hot you make me wanna come right now, just looking at you, Billy, just fucking _looking_ at you." He catches his breath between kisses - those lips first, and then back down to the chin, and up the jawline to Billy's other ear, where he breathes hotly. "Not gonna come yet, though, Billy. Know why? Wanna taste you and touch you all over. Wanna make you come for me, Billy, and I'm gonna taste you just like you tasted me, like you tasted yourself. It's gonna be my turn and I'm gonna make you scream with it."

Billy's whimpering now, clawing at Dom's scalp, neck, shoulders - when did Dom's shoulders get to be so broad, he wonders distractedly. Decides he likes it, and doesn't ask, _can't_ ask, because Dom's licking a hot trail down Billy's throat, bathing his pulse points in wet heat, rough velvet tongue setting his sensitized nerve endings on fire. Dom nips at that spot where his neck and shoulder meet, then at his collarbone, tiny little bites that might leave marks, and the thought of Dom marking him makes Billy so hot that he digs his nails roughly into Dom's muscular shoulders, and is rewarded by another, harder bite for it. He moans as Dom licks the bite marks tenderly.

"Like that, don't you?" Dom growls. Several harder nips as he makes his way down to Billy's sensitive nipples. Billy's writhing underneath him by the time he gets there. "Fuck, Billy, you gotta stop," Dom begs. "I'm gonna come if you don't, and I gotta make this good for you. Please, Billy." The sound of Dom begging finally gets through, and Billy forces his hips to stillness through sheer force of will. The need in Dom's voice is nearly enough to send him over the edge, but he tries not to think about that. He takes several deep breaths, and wills his body to relax.

When he feels Billy's body grow still, he begins again, laving Billy's nipples wetly, swirling and dragging his tongue across each in turn, flicking with just the tip, drinking in every gasp and moan that his licks elicit. When he's sucked them both to tight pink peaks, he runs his thumbs over the sensitized nubs experimentally, and revels in the way Billy arches into the touch, and cries out. "Fuck, Dom! Please…" Billy's not even sure what he's begging for, but he's hot and hard against Dom's tight stomach, and every flick of a finger or tongue on his nipples is traveling with lightning speed, straight to his cock. Dom's low laugh is like a flame to tinder, and Billy bucks his hips, uncontrollably, cursing and pleading and fighting the urge to slip his hand between them and stroke himself.

Dom's on the move, anyway, licking more kisses down his taut abdomen, nails skimming his sides and stomach, delighting in the way the muscles clench and leap under his fingertips, his tongue. When Dom stops to thrust wetly into Billy's sensitive belly button, Billy whimpers and tries to thrust his cock upwards, succeeding only in brushing against Dom's throat. But Billy gets what he wants when Dom wraps his hand around Billy's pounding hard-on, squeezing him tight, and holding him down, as Dom presses firm kisses to the flesh over his pubic bone. Billy's panting harshly, thinks he's in heaven when he feels Dom reach beneath him, stroking and squeezing his arse.

A moment later, though, he feels himself being rolled over, Dom's hand still cradling his heavy erection protectively, shielding it from the abrasion of the sand beneath him. Now Dom's straddling the arse he was just fondling, and Billy's feeling confused and frustrated. That is, until Dom leans forward and presses a hot, wet kiss to his sensitive nape, making Billy shudder, and thrust his arse upward, feeling the delicious drag of Dom's hot, swollen cock against it. Dom's hands and lips are everywhere, touching and massaging and stroking. Dom bites down hard on Billy's shoulder, and Billy forgets to be careful, bucking upward and feeling the sting of sand rasping against the sensitive underside of his cock. He twists, and his still-hard nipples feel the scratch of the sand next. He half whimpers, half-moans, and tries to force his body to not respond. Dom's not making it easy though.

"Fuck, Billy, I love how you beg, with your pretty mouth, and your sexy body. It makes me so hard, makes me wanna go down on you right now, suck you until you come so hard you'll think the world stopped spinning and stood still just for you." He's brushing hot kisses down Billy's spine now, and Billy's never guessed his back was so sensitive, because every touch brings him closer to unraveling in Dom's hands. "Gonna wait, though, Billy. Gonna wait if it kills me, because I gotta feel you, every inch of you first. Gotta touch you everywhere, know every part of you. Then I'll make you come, screaming my name and begging for more." Dom's hands are already way ahead of his mouth, and the way they're kneading Billy's arse, greedily, makes Billy want to tell him, fuck it, just roll me over and suck me off now, but he doesn't, partially because he can't seem to get out anything more coherent than Dom's name - and he's awfully fond of that right now - and partially because he wants Dom to have everything Dom wants, especially if that everything includes himself.

Dom's mouth has made it to Billy's tailbone now, and he plants one last hot, wet kiss at the very peak of the crack of Billy's arse, making Billy shudder hard beneath him. Dom loves how responsive Billy can be, loves drawing all the shivers and moans and obscenities out of him. His hands are massaging in earnest now, thumbs at the very base of the cheeks, near the center, rubbing and stretching and stroking the skin, as his fingers dig into the pliant muscle beneath them. "You have the most perfect arse on the planet," he informs Billy in all seriousness, dropping kisses all over the rosy flesh before him.

Billy thinks that that can't be true, because he's seen Dom's arse, of course, and can't think his could be any more luscious or fuckable than that. But Dom isn't finished. "God, I wanna fuck you right now," he confesses. Billy loves the way Dom's voice is shaking. "I won't," he adds, sounding as if he's trying to reassure Billy, and Billy can't think why, because his hips have lifted at the admission, and his arse is trying to thrust itself against Dom's elusive cock, and Billy can't think of anything he'd rather feel at that very moment than Dom sliding into him, stretching him, stroking him from the inside, making him come. Belatedly, he realizes that Dom's still talking. "…still really sore from last night, and I don't want to hurt you, Billy" - soft, sweet kisses on his lower back now - "I'd never hurt you, never. I'm just saying…your arse is driving me mad right now."

Billy wants to thrust his hips up at Dom again, loving those words and the knowledge that Dom is as hot as he is right now. But Dom has already moved down, stroking the backs of his thighs, seeking out all the sensitive spots that make Billy gasp and twist with need. Fingers slip under him to caress the inner crease of his thighs, and Billy tries futilely to brush those hands against his almost painfully hard cock, craving skin-on-skin friction, and not sand-on-sensitive flesh pain. When Dom's hot, slick tongue leaves cooling trails on the backs of his knees, Billy just moans helplessly, knowing Dom can't be swayed. When Dom gets to Billy's feet, Billy hopes he doesn't have to kick Dom in the face. Everyone knows his feet are too ticklish to touch. Even the people in Feet let him do most of his own work, for fear of his reflexive reactions. But the people in Feet never stroked him like this, never pressed into that spot in the arch - dear God and holy _fuck_ , how did Dom know about that? - certainly never pushed their tongue between his toes, or sucked on those toes until he moaned, or…well, Dom is allowed to touch Billy's feet whenever he wants, Billy decides.

But Dom's moved on again, kissing his way back up Billy's legs, and Billy realizes with elation that there's very little of him that Dom hasn't touched yet, and Billy knows where this is headed, after all. And then Dom is all over Billy's arse again, and he's spreading Billy wide open and pressing a hot, wet kiss to Billy's tender entrance, and Billy starts to writhe and twist and moan, and loses the ability to think anything at that point. Dom must have the lube with him, because as his mouth moves away from Billy's opening, a slick finger takes its place, teasing, but not entering, just keeping Billy at a fever pitch as Dom's tongue covers the distance between arse and scrotum, pressing and rubbing firmly in that sensitive spot that always brings Billy to the very edge of his control.

Dom's hand finds Billy's cock again, rockhard and pulsing, and protects it once more as he rolls Billy onto his back again, not bothering to release it as he mouths Billy's high, tight balls gently, teasingly. Billy's breathing harshly, whimpering and making noises he can't even put a name to at this point.

Finally, _finally_ Dom's hot mouth finds Billy's cock, swollen and thick, and ready to bury itself in Dom's throat. A gentle breath of cool air meant to blow sand gently from Billy's aching hard-on produces a wailing moan. Billy grabs Dom's head, and jerks it toward his cock, harder than he intended to, but beyond the point of caring, as he feels Dom's warm, wet lips take him in. Dom's tongue strokes his entire length, swirling around the head and sucking gently at the salty precum. Dom moans, and Billy's whole body shakes with the vibrations. When Dom lifts his head, Billy wants to scream. "You ready, Billy?" he asks hoarsely. "I'm gonna do you now, gonna suck your cock so good, so hard you'll think you've died and fucked an angel on the way to heaven. Gonna make you come so hard you see stars. Gonna taste you now, Billy. Gotta fucking taste your cum. I want it so bad. Come for me, Billy. God, I wanna make you come." And with that, he plunges down, hot and wet and slick all over Billy's throbbing, aching cock, sucking him in and moaning and deepthroating like a pro. His tongue is a silken whip, and it curls and snakes around Billy, burning him alive with pleasure so sharp he'd almost swear it was pain.

Dom's fingers are brushing Billy's opening again, softly, making Billy whimper and keen and arch upward, thrusting deeper into Dom's throat. He looks down into his mate's stormy blue eyes, and sees lust and determination, but above all, love. And then he sees just how hot Dom looks, his lush lips swollen and red, with Billy's thick cock sliding in and out, sees that Dom's hand has started to work his own cock urgently, and Billy can't help himself, he thrusts roughly into Dom's mouth, pushing in deep, and finally he starts begging. "Suck meh Dom, suck meh harder please need it so bad, _fuck_ need yer mouth all over me, need to fuck yer mouth, wanna come for ye, come inside yer hot little mouth, want ye to taste meh, _fuck_ Dommeh justlikethat do that again, yesyesohfuckyes can't stop Dommeh can't stop don'tstopsucking harderohGodharder gonnacomegonnacome ohfuckinyeahDommeh I'mcomingI'mcomingI'm _fuck_ …Dommeh!" The tingling starts in his still-wet toes and builds straight through until he explodes in a wild, surging, spiraling, spurting, salty rush in his best mate's mouth, unable to breathe or talk or do anything other than _feel_ the shattering aftershocks that shake him.

Billy just lies there for long moments, barely conscious of the world around him. The sharpsweet shivers racing through him are just beginning to die down. He's just starting to remember how to breathe again, his body heavy and sated, his pulse slowly returning to normal. Dom's face is still nestled into his hip, breath hot and uneven on his now-soft cock, beard pleasantly abrading the sensitive skin of his inner thigh. Billy sees that Dom's hand on his own engorged cock has slowed, is more languid now, though no less needy. His eyes are still bright with unspent fire, and the tip of his long tongue keeps tasting his soft, swollen lips, the clinging essence of Billy's cum lending them an addictive tang. He looks at Billy in wonder.

"You're so fucking beautiful when you come, Billy." Dom's voice catches, lust and emotion making it difficult to speak. "So fucking beautiful, and so fucking hot, and I can't fucking wait to see it again. And you taste…oh God, Billy, you taste like nothing I've ever known. You taste exactly like I feel when I think about you, late at night, lying in bed and stroking myself just like this, Billy. So hot. You drive me mad, Billy, so beautiful and hot and…fuck, Billy, you make me want you so bad. All I have to do is think about you, and I get so hard, I can barely walk. And then I look at you, and I want you so bad, and I love you so much, Billy. So damn much I just want to hold you close to me, and never let you go, and then at the same time I wanna fuck you until you can't stand up. What do I do, Billy? God, I'm so lost when I look at you."

And then he's kissing Billy, deeply, and Billy realizes exactly what it's costing Dom to go slow now, realizes how much Dom wants him, and the knowledge shakes him to the core. But Dom kisses him just that way, long and slow and so hot and wet that Billy can hardly breathe, and he feels every bit of the love that Dom's trying to speak into his mouth with those kisses.

And Billy tries to tell Dom it's alright, that he just really wants to make Dom come, too, and _God_ , yes, Dom can fuck him, and he doesn't care if he's sore, but Dom doesn't want to hear it. He just keeps kissing Billy, long and slow, whispering wicked promises and tender endearments until Billy feels himself start to stir again, far earlier than should be normal in a man his age, but Dom makes him feel like teenager anyway, so it sort of makes sense.

With a start, he realizes he can touch Dom, a silly realization, but now it's his turn, and suddenly he can't get enough. His hands explore the width of Dom's shoulders greedily, and trace his slender hips hungrily. He skims his nails over the tensile muscle of Dom's gorgeous, very fuckable arse, and feels himself rising fast to the occasion. Dom moans as Billy digs his nails into that muscle, then whimpers as Billy brushes a finger ohsolightly over his sensitive opening. Billy breaks their kiss and pulls back to look Dom in the eye.

"My turn, my Dommeh," he breathes. "And I wanna fuck ye so bad it hurts."

He feels Dom's hard cock jump against his own, and he wraps his hand tightly around the thick length, feeling the head pulse and swell hotly in his grip. He starts a slow stroke that makes Dom groan painfully, and buck hard against his hand. Billy makes a tsking sound. "Now, Dommeh. _I_ get to say when ye come, and I'm not ready for that yet. But when I say so, yer gonna come for me so hard, Dommeh, so good, ye'll think yer never gonna be able to come again. Yer gonna beg me, Dommeh, and I'm gonna give ye everything." He presses a tender kiss to Dom's shoulder, then slithers down his body until his face is inches from Dom's rockhard erection, his breath coating the head in a humid embrace. His tongue flicks out, tastes the precum gathered at the slit. "Fuck, yeah, Dom, ye taste so good it makes me wanna come again." His perfect lips wrap around Dom's engorged cock, and he sinks down suddenly to the base, feeling the cockhead spread his throat open wide to accommodate it. He swallows, loving the way Dom moans, and thrusts into his mouth. He sucks hard, cheeks hollowing, and starts a rapid stroke that makes Dom cry out and shudder. His hands find the bottle of lube, and he manages to coat them without breaking his rhythm. One hand starts stroking Dom's tight arsehole, eliciting shivers and whimpers and rough thrusts into his mouth. The other works his balls, already high and tight, coaxing him to the edge of his control.

In a moment, Dom is fucking his mouth uncontrollably, head thrown back, eyes closed, cries spilling out with every thrust. Billy pulls his mouth off of Dom's thick cock with a popping sound, although he can't resist several more swipes to the sensitive underside with his velvety tongue. The hand that's toying with Dom's arse also stops, and Dom whimpers, until he feels two slick fingers thrust in suddenly, not painful but startling, forcing all the air out of his lungs in a whoosh. He opens his eyes and looks at Billy to find him using his other hand to stroke his own very hard cock with growing urgency. Billy's watching him as he strokes himself, licking his lips hungrily. When Billy's thrusting, searching fingers brush his prostate, Dom gasps, stiffening. He lets Billy guide him to his hands and knees, Billy's fingers still inside him. Finds himself thrusting backwards, fucking himself on Billy's hand. Sees that Billy is fisting himself hard, panting.

"Please, Billy," he begs. "I need to feel your cock inside of me. Need you to fuck me. Want you to make me come for you."

In a split second, Billy's behind him, replacing his fingers with his hard, throbbing cock. As he presses in, a desperate whimper escapes Dom's throat, and Billy stops cold.

"Don't stop, Billy. Oh fuck, don't stop. Need this so bad. Need _you_ so bad, Bills. Fuck me, _please_."

So Billy sinks in completely, tilts his head back at the hot, tight feel of being buried in Dom's beautiful arse. Starts to move, and falls in love with the sounds coming from Dom's mouth. "Fuck Billy, fuck yes, fuck me, fuck so good," Dom's moaning.

He thrusts faster, harder, Dom's moans mixing with the wet sound of skin slapping skin. He reaches down and wraps his hand tightly around Dom's cock, jerking it hard in time to their thrusts. Dom surges forward, pleading, whimpering. The sound makes Billy shudder and drive into him roughly, frantic with need. He strokes Dom slickly, hard and fast, his hand wild on Dom's straining cock as he whispers, "Come for me, Dommeh. Fucking come for me, wanna feel ye come all over my hand, so hard Dommeh, oh God come for me."

Dom feels it in the pit of his stomach first, heat unfurling rapidly, overpowering him, and then he's coming hard, so fucking hard he can't breathe, and the world is spinning crazily, and he's screaming Billy's name, and he's coating Billy's hand with his cum, and he's clenching around Billy's hard cock, still pumping inside him. A moment later, the intense sensations trigger Billy's own orgasm, and he comes in a hotwet rush for the second time that night, crying out to God and Dom in any order.


	23. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving forward

The morning sun is warm on their skin by the time they awaken again. Billy is curled around Dom, protective and loving, and his lips are whispering Dom to wakefulness with words of love. “My Dommeh,” he murmurs. “My beautiful Dommeh. How did I ever get by without you? Tell me I won’t ever have to again.”

“You won’t ever have to again.” Although his words echo Billy’s, his expression is serious at he turns in Billy’s arms to look his mate and his love in the eye. “I love you, Billy Boyd. And I’m not leaving, not as long as you say I can stay.”

Billy smiles, feeling absurdly shy, and ducks his head into Dom’s shoulder. “I love you, Dominic,” he says. “And you’ll be waiting a long time for me to say you can go. Forever sounds about right.”

He meets Dom’s gaze, and then his lips, kissing him sweetly.

They rise slowly, languid with love and sated lust. Hand in hand, they walk into the water, bathing each other tenderly, and with many stolen kisses, as if they’re saving up for some uncertain future. They pull their clothes on, their skin still damp, and lace their fingers together tightly as they make their way back to the house. Dom eases the backdoor open quiet as a mouse, and slips in before Billy, still clasping his hand, but stops short and bursts into laughter. Billy peeks in to see Sean and Chris leaning against the stove, snuggling sleepily, and Elijah and Orlando propped up on elbows at the table, looking suspiciously as if they never went to bed.

Billy has the good grace to blush. Elijah glares at them until he notices their interlaced fingers, and the way Dom’s looking back at Billy, openly adoring. He can’t maintain his pout when Billy raises his free hand to cup Dom’s cheek, bringing him close for a slow, tender kiss in front of their dearest friends. It seems like the easiest way to make the announcement.

Sean and Chris and Orlando and Elijah offer their heartfelt congratulations, but the two barely hear them, have eyes only for each other, although they can feel the love and happiness surrounding them. Dom reaches over and pulls Billy back to him for another kiss, as sweet as the first.

Just then, Allie wanders into the kitchen, sleepy-eyed, in her Snow White pajamas. She takes one look at the kissing couple and bursts into a grin. “I win!” she crows. She marches right up to Orlando and holds out her hand expectantly. “Fork it over,” she orders him, sounding like a junior Mafiosa.

Orlando grimaces, and pulls out his wallet, removing a twenty and handing it to her. She grins happily and turns back to Billy and Dom. “Just so you know,” she informs them cheekily, “I expect to be a bridesmaid.”

Sean is staring at her, alarmed. “Seven…she’s _seven_ …” he sputters in disbelief. Chris is laughing quietly in the crook of his arm.

But Allie isn’t finished yet. “I think Lijah should be the best man,” she adds helpfully, walking over to Elijah, who’s still wearing her ring around his neck, and crawling into his lap, smiling winningly up at him. Elijah looks a bit like a deer caught in headlights.

Sean looks at his daughter, really seeing, for the first time, the determined tilt of her chin and the cleverness and sheer force of will that sparkles in her eyes. And then he thinks he should probably start getting used to the idea of having his former costar and close friend for a son-in-law.

Billy and Dom just look at each other, smiling. What can they say? They haven’t gotten that far ahead yet, of course. Marriage is scary – hell, it isn’t even recognized between two men in most places. But in their hearts, they know neither of them would have risked their friendship for a fling or even a passionate relationship that they didn’t fully intend to see through to the very end. Whether or not they’re ready for that commitment now, in their hearts, it’s already been made.

But what can they tell her now?

That her title will actually be Junior Attendant, although it will be another four years before they stand in a park in New Zealand, near the ocean and sheltered by trees, and pledge their lives to each other?

That those four years will be full of tears as well as happiness, disappointments as well as triumphs?

That there will be major, relationship-teetering issues they haven’t even let themselves think about yet, like telling Dom’s family, or where they’re going to live, or whether they’re going to have children, or when they’ll out themselves to the press and public, let alone how it will impact their lives and careers?

That there will be phone calls every night they’re apart, some sweet and some burning, but most a combination of silliness and seriousness, longing and fantasy and dreaming of being together when they’re not?

That there will be doubts and insecurities and fighting over stupid things like who makes more money, gets more work, gets nominated for an Oscar, or flirts too much with his costar?

That they will eventually get to make their movie, and even the critics will have to admit that it’s “funnier than a penguin playing a banjo”?

That there will be heartbreaks and misunderstandings, and even breakups (including the one that only lasts two hours, and the one that ends in Dom buying out all the orchids in all the shops in Glasgow)?

That there will be epiphanies and late night inspirations and surprise visits that remind them of how much they love each other, or make them realize it anew?

That there will be obstacles and losses and hard times, jealousies and regrets?

That it will all be worth it in the end, and that DomandBilly, BillyandDom will grow far stronger together before the day they stand side by side in front of friends and family and God and Man and pledge their love and lives to each other on an unseasonably warm August day, a long decade from the moment they first met?

They don’t say any of this, of course, because it’s all in the future, and all they know now is that they have each other, and the world ahead of them. And for BillyandDom, that’s enough.

In the end, there’s only one question left to ask, and it’s Orlando, sitting by himself in the room of unconventional couples, who asks it.

“So…which one of you’s going to be the bride?”


End file.
